Artisanal Supply Chain

Artisanal Supply Chain

“Artisanal” is a slippery term to define, but most definitions seem to include the words “hand” and “small.” Artisanal products are slowly made, carefully and cooly hand-crafted and turned out in relatively small quantities, never over-heated by the assembly line, and frequently bearing the name of an obscure, non-national brand. The word “artisanal” is frequently applied to the preparation of a high-quality food stuff – such as cheese, bread, salad dressing, or chicken pot pies – when these products are made more by hand than by machine in small batches.*

But it seems to me that for the term “artisanal” to be properly applied to a product, there should be careful and concerned handling throughout the supply chain that brings that product to market.

Costco, Target and many large corporate grocery conglomerates offer pre-cut cheeses that would qualify as artisanal in the sense that they are “hand-made” in small quantities (The Wife just brought back a Carr Valley cheese from Costco the other day). But can it be said that these cheeses – which are pre-cut, wrapped in plastic or, worse, cryovaced, and kept in loosely refrigerated cabinets – retain optimum “artisanalness”? I don’t believe so.

In recent conversations with cheesemakers, I’ve discovered, not at all surprisingly, that some cheesemakers will not sell to even such apparently reputable food retailers as Fox & Obel.** They are concerned about how their cheese will be handled in a “mass sales” environment. The very “largeness” of an operation can militate against the cheese’s ability to retain its freshness, taste, texture, moisture, and other qualities that distinguish artisanal fromage.***

Small cheese stores (Marion Street Cheese Market, Pastoral, etc.) do not usually precut their cheeses (though there may be prepackaged items of, for instance, small rounds, camembert, etc.), and for recently cut cheeses that are covered in plastic, the plastic sheeting is usually changed every day or so to avoid the growth of unwanted molds. Such practices are usually not possible in mega-operations, where the sheer volume of product would require much extra labor and associated costs.

For a product to be termed “artisanal,” it seems it must not only be made “by hand” in “small quantities,” it must also be handled along the supply chain in such a way as to retain those unique food qualities that are made possible by such careful preparation. From this perspective, and whatever may be stated on the label, it may not be possible to purchase truly artisanal cheese, for instance, from Jewel, Dominick’s, Whole Foods and perhaps even Fox & Obel.****

According to The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese, a great number of artisan cheese makers have established their operations in the past decade or so. The American Cheese Society is holding their annual event in Chicago next July, highlighting the importance of Chicago as a nexus of cheese traffic (mostly from Wisconsin, granted). It’s a good time to be an eater of fine cheese in Chicago; just be careful where you buy it.

David “I have seen the future, and it’s full of cheese” Hammond*****


*Determining the presence of “machines” in the process also involves a degree of slipperiness. Do egg beaters count? How about pasta machines? Conveyor belts? It’s hard to say at one point the process is more machine-o-centric rather than mano-centric. One this is for sure: artisanal goods – in common parlance – are not produced in huge factories by huge machines.

**Lydia Burns, who has been discussed elsewhere on this board, is formerly the fromager at Fox & Obel – she was to have held a cheese seminar at F&O a few weeks ago. This seminar was mysteriously canceled; Ms. Burns has reappeared at Sam’s as head cheese honcho.

***I heard today that Artisanal of New York is planning a move to Chicago. That will be a very good day, and I believe higher end operations like this could refute the theory that only small retailers are suitable handlers for artisanal cheese (though currently I do believe that is the case.) For more about Artisanal: http://www.artisanalbistro.com/

****This does not mean, however, that less fragile and perishable artisanal items might not be just fine when purchased at these big stores.

*****Sorry for all the frickin’ footnotes, but I had a point to make somewhere and didn’t want to blur them with digressions.

Thanks, David, a very informative post. It brings new meaning to the phrase "Who cut the cheese?"

David, the improper handling and especially wrapping and storage of cheese is a big peeve. I find it terribly saddening to come across an otherwise excellent and not widely available cheese man- or miss-handled and asphyxiated in wrapping. (Let's keep the blues in foil)


'Artisanal' may be soon be the new 'Organic' and mega operations start using/abusing the term.
Mega operations have their problems but I think it just comes down to lack of adequate level of knowledge and training.
In one case (long ago), I tasted and had wedges cut of three cheeses (always taste your cheese!) that looked otherwise well stored, went home and they all tasted like soap. On taking it back to the store, I realized the person wrapping it used too high a setting on the heat sealer and/or an unsuitable type of plastic wrap.

Probably 'Artisanal' products may suffer greater abuse in larger operations - but I think most food items loose when handled with indifference or ignorance.

There can be mega operations that handle cheese well - however, these tend to focus on cheese, so have the adequate training.

I hope I can find some Carr valley at my Costco - I think some of their (harder) cheeses will do fine in a mega store.

sazerac wrote:David, the improper handling and especially wrapping and storage of cheese is a big peeve. I find it terribly saddening to come across an otherwise excellent and not widely available cheese man- or miss-handled and asphyxiated in wrapping. (Let's keep the blues in foil)

I was talking to Eric Larson at Marion Street Cheese Market this morning, and he mentioned that he unwraps his cheeses daily and lets them breathe for 20 minutes before rewrapping in fresh plastic. Wrapping of some sort is necessary to keep the cheese from drying out, but sealing air-tight does strangle them.

sazerac wrote:Probably 'Artisanal' products may suffer greater abuse in larger operations - but I think most food items loose when handled with indifference or ignorance.

I'm starting to think that larger operations, almost by definition, result in greater abuse. There are more stops in the supply chain, more opportunities to injure the product, and given the volume, less opportunity to care for the living product in a way that ensures it will continue living until I eat it.