Today we’d like to introduce you to Corinne Zinn.
Hi Corinne, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Originating from Belgium I moved to the US, in Colorado 20 years ago in the beautiful west Elk region with beautiful peach and cherry orchards and vineyards. To my big surprise nobody was making cheese and coming from Europe I used to organize wine and cheese pairing as in Belgium you could find cheeses from all over the world. I was missing my cheeses and looking to find a way to make some just for myself… I bought goat milk from a local farmer and search online on how to make my favorite cheeses, I connected with a Forum of French cheesemakers and learned all the secrets to making cheese.
I brought my first batch of fresh chevre with Thyme and Lavender to a French winemaker in Colorado and He got so excited to be able to pair his wine with local fromage !! That’s how everything started. From buying a little bit of milk from a local farmer and ending up with 50 goats on the farm, milking and making cheeses for local wineries and restaurants in Aspen, Crested Butte, and Telluride. As our little cheesemaking operation grew I needed more professional equipment and connected with a French company that was just in the process of establishing their business in the US.
As a French-speaking cheesemaker, they offered me the position of Director of sales for the entire US territory and I was very fortunate to be trained in France and sent to visit numerous cheesemakers all over the US. In the meantime, I created a consultant company called “Fromage Without Borders” with the idea of helping farmers to create European-style cheeses. I sold my goat and moved to UTAH where I was hired by Deer Valley to create their own cheese on the resort.
They built my little cheese room right on the ski slope and for 4 years I was skiing in the morning and making cheese in the afternoon… a dream come true. In 2018 I decided to launch Park City Creamery and create a Utah Terroir cheese selecting specifically local milk. Our cheeses are now available, in numerous local grocery stores and restaurants, and we have recently been granted by the FDA to expand our sales outside Utah. What a ride !!!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Covid’s hit our very first year of business. Scary time as a brand new business with 95% of our customers being restaurants got closed…. fortunately the stores started to buy more of our products as consumers’ only resort was grocery stores. That definitely saved us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At Park City Creamery we offer European-style cheeses made specifically with local milk and therefore are creating unique Utah Terroir cheeses. Our motto is “Cheese Made with Altitude” as the fresh air of the mountains is flowing thru our aging cave.
Each cheese is named after a local ski run. Our Treasure brie is a brie-style cheese, Hidden Treasure is a brie-style cheese with truffles, and our Silver Queen a goat cheese with vegetable ash that won best of the show at The Utah Cheese Awards.
Any big plans?
We are planning to expand our sales outside Utah and present our Utah Terroir cheeses in many other states.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.parkcitycreamery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/park_city_creamery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkCityCreamery
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V84iG_DW33w&t=3s
Image Credits
Hearth and Hill
