Couet Farm & Fromagerie is a young cheesemaking company based in Dudley, Massachusetts. We create small batch, handmade, cave-aged cheeses in Beaujolais and Catalonian styles. We work directly with northeast family dairies, supporting our agricultural community, and we use only high quality, clean, rich, raw milk. As one cheese competition judge put it, we are known for our “beautiful craftsmanship and dedication to quality.” This is a reputation that all of us embody, here at the Fromagerie.

We have an opening for an assistant cheesemaker to start in January 2018. This is a full time position, approximately 40 hours per week with daily variation; this is not a 9 to 5 job and does require weekend work. The position reports to the owner of Couet Farm & Fromagerie. We are looking at expanding our small team, where each of us wears many hats, and we expect the new hire to be willing to do the same. While we would prefer our new assistant to have experience making cheese in a commercial facility and/or experience selling cheese, we are willing to consider someone with passion and the drive to become independent.

Cheesemaking is in very large part cleaning. When it is not, it involves following written or verbal instructions, taking and noting measurements, counting, repetition, lifting, working fast and meticulously, working in high heat and high humidity as well as in the cold. Cheesemaking, as well as sales, is a physically and mentally taxing craft.

Thus, the five most essential qualities we seek in our new team member are, 1) an innate sense of cleanliness, 2) ambition and pride in a job well done, 3) resilience through a long, challenging day of work. And while at farmers’ markets, the team member must also, 4) interact and engage with customers in a respectful and informative way, and 5) maintain impeccable records of cheese sales.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Make cheese according to our recipes

Keep records

Affinage (cheese maturing) in our cave

Clean the cheese room and all materials, top to bottom

Cut and wrap cheeses for markets and prep wholesale orders

Deliver wholesale orders

Drive to and sell cheese at farmers’ markets

Call to and discuss with customers to actively sample and sell cheese

Record every sale and monitor inventory

Maintain and clean market materials

Provide input on procedures

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Passion for cheese

Passion for cleanliness

Ability to keep impeccable records of cheesemaking, sales, and inventory

Ability to follow verbal and written directions

Willingness to take initiative and to offer constructive input

Ability to lift up to 30 lbs

Ability to simultaneously manage cash, customers, and inventory

Willingness to call to and engage with the nearest customer

Have your own vehicle, vehicle insurance, and a valid driver's license

Willingness to work on weekends

Familiarity with cheesemaking process and a clean food environment preferred

Familiarity with federal and state regulations preferred