Deeper Roots Episode 2: Jeanne Carpenter, ACSCCP

Blain’s Farm & Fleet and Trevor Thomas of Inside Wisconsin team up to explore the people, the stories, and the statriotism of everyday Wisconsinites whose “deeper roots” positively impact the communities where we live and work.

Blain’s Farm & Fleet & Trevor Thomas of Inside Wisconsin catch up with Jeanne Carpenter, Owner of Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese in Oregon, WI. Jeanne’s Deeper Roots story takes us from the family farm to an Idaho newsroom and back as we discover what led her to become one of only 30 American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professionals in the great state of Wisconsin.

Jeanne Carpenter grew up on a family farm in southwest Wisconsin. Although she had a deep rooted love for Wisconsin, after 22 years of working at her family’s farm, she decided to uproot and move across the country to Idaho. Jeanne wanted to pursue her degree in journalism in a low-populated area away from her hometown, so Idaho was the perfect place.

After years of working as a journalist in Idaho, Jeanne got married and started a family, so she decided it was time to return to her family and her roots in Wisconsin. Jeanne explained that, “When you move away from Wisconsin, you appreciate it more.” Although Jeanne originally couldn’t wait to get away, she was even more happy and excited to come back to her roots in Wisconsin.

When Jeanne returned, she was offered a job as a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. This position is what introduced her to cheese. To help save the dairy industry in Wisconsin, Jeanne traveled to cheese factories and dairy farms to grant federal money to those who stopped or transitioned from making commodity, low profit cheeses, to start making specialty, high-profit cheeses.

In Wisconsin, the biggest cheese state in the country, there are only 30 total American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professionals. Jeanne’s love for Wisconsin and its culture lead her to receive this degree in cheese knowledge. This certification requires 2,000 hours of work in a retail setting to qualify and six months of studying, where only about half of the people who take the exam pass.

Next, Jeanne and Trevor discuss and taste test different kinds of cheeses from Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese. Jeanne explains that dipping cheese wheels in wax is a particular Wisconsin tradition. Dipping a whole wheel in wax is an alternative to wrapping it in plastic or a natural rind. It allows the cheese to breathe and helps the cheese age more naturally.

A really easy way to tell how old a cheese is, is to bend it. When you bend the cheese, the quicker it breaks apart typically means the older the cheese is. You want your cheese to break pretty quickly if you are looking for a high-quality aged cheese.

The knowledge and experiences that Jeanne has in this field deserves credit and it’s something that we, as Wisconsinites, should be very proud of. Deep-rooted stories like Jeanne’s matter, which is what we are showcasing on Inside Wisconsin’s Deeper Roots with Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

Thanks to Jeanne and the Firefly Coffeehouse for hosting us for episode two of Inside Wisconsin’s Deeper Roots with Blain’s Farm and Fleet. If you’d like to learn more about Jeanne and the Firefly Coffeehouse and to see what their current cheese board selections are, visit their website. For more episodes of Deeper Roots, check out the Deeper Roots blog posts or Inside Wisconsin’s YouTube channel and subscribe.