CURD TO COUNTER
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS BY CHEESE JOURNEYS
Cheese tours and mentorship programs that connect cheese retail professionals and their customers with Europe’s finest cheesemakers and affineurs.
ABOUT
Cheese Journeys is a luxury travel brand that curates unique, culinary experiences for artisan cheese, food and wine enthusiasts. We connect curious travelers to the world’s finest makers and educate on regional cultures and cuisines.
These mentorship programs, much like our tours, are designed to encourage exploration and education while connecting cheese shop professionals, and their customers with Europe’s finest cheesemakers and affineurs.
WHO IS CURD TO COUNTER FOR?
If you own a cheese shop in the US and have a passionate management team, skilled mongers and a strong customer base of enthusiasts – these mentorship programs are for you, your team, and your community of cheese enthusiasts.
CURD TO COUNTER programs offer cheese professionals the opportunity to travel, expand cheese knowledge, and connect with world-renowned makers. We’re thrilled to be running mentorships in two countries in 2026: Switzerland and Britain.
Those enrolled onto our programs will be mentored and fully immersed into the world of esteemed cheesemakers during a farm/ dairy stay, invited to expand their knowledge on every aspect of production from its history through to herd, cheesemaking and maturing processes, and agriculture sustainability. Plus, recipients will receive direct training from local cheesemongers in the art of selling and carrying these iconic cheeses.
These mentorship programs give participants the opportunity to:
Travel with industry experts, expand cheese knowledge, advance skills as a retailer and educator of artisan cheese, food and wine.
Build and establish lasting relationships, take part in and support educational opportunities through shared travel experiences.
APPY FOR OUR 2026 PROGRAMS
We’re running two CURD TO COUNTER programs in 2026. The first will be hosted in Switzerland, August 26 - 28 and the second will take place in Britain, October 13 - 17. Both programs run ahead of our signature Cheese Journeys tours in each of these locations.
CURD TO COUNTER SWITZERLAND
This mentorship program, designed exclusively by Cheese Journeys and the award-winning Swiss makers and affineurs at Gourmino, is an educational program for US-based cheese retail professionals.
The mentorship will start in Zurich, Switzerland and run from August 26 - 28, 2026. Cheese professionals will spend 3 days traveling with Gourmino’s incredible team of Swiss cheesemakers experiencing farm visits, cheesemaking, aging, and education. Then, they’ll join the NEW 8-day Cheese Journeys tour of Switzerland that we’ve curated for professionals and their cheese enthusiast customers.
We’re thrilled to have partnered with the following Swiss Cheesemakers for next year’s program:
• F. Baumgarter of mountain cheese dairy, Trub
• M. Spycher of mountain cheese dairy, Fritzenhaus
• S. Schöpfer of mountain cheese dairy, Kleinstein
• R. Rüegg of cheese Wildberg
HOW TO APPLY
Gourmino Switzerland 2026 Cheese Journey and Mentorship Program
Here’s how to qualify:
Cheese Professional shop owner/manager purchases the 8-day Switzerland cheese tour (August 29 - September 5) and meets the mentorship program criteria. The mentorship program (running August 26 - 28) will then be free, excluding airfare.
Cheese Professional shop owner/manager collaborates with Cheese Journeys to bring their enthusiasts/customers on the 8-day Switzerland tour (August 29 - September 5) and meets the mentorship program criteria. The mentorship program will then be free, excluding airfare.
If you’re a cheese shop owner or manager currently selling cut to order Swiss cheese from Gourmino, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact Anna Juhl, CEO & Founder of Cheese Journeys at anna@cheesejourneys.com or phone 435-503-2282
Contact Joe Salonia, Gourmino, LTD Sales Manager at joe.salonia@gourmino.ch or phone 973-945-7354
CURD TO COUNTER BRITAIN
This is a mentorship program designed by Cheese Journeys in collaboration with British cheesemakers and support from Neal’s Yard Dairy. It’s exclusively for US-based cheese retail professionals and their customers, and it will run October 13 - 17 ahead of our British Cheese Odyssey tour.
Cheese retail professionals taking part will spend 3 days with an award-winning British cheesemaker and get a day of invaluable cheesemongering insight at Neal’s Yard Dairy - all facilitated by Anna and the Cheese Journeys team. This involves farm visits, cheesemaking, education, a VIP tour and tasting at Neal’s Yard Dairy caves at the headquarters in London - plus time at Neal’s Yard Dairy retail shop. Participants will then join Cheese Journey’s standalone 8-day British Cheese Odyssey tour designed for these professionals and their cheese enthusiast customers.
HOW TO APPLY
British 2026 Cheese Odyssey tour and Mentorship Program
Here’s how to qualify:
Cheese Professional shop owner/manager purchase the British Cheese Odyssey tour (October 18-25) and meet the mentorship program criteria. The mentorship program (October 13-16) will then be free, excluding airfare.
Cheese Professional shop owner/manager collaborates with Cheese Journeys to bring their enthusiasts/customers on the 8-day British Cheese Odyssey tour (October 18-25) and meets mentorship program criteria. The mentorship program (October 13-17) will then be free, excluding airfare.
If you’re a cheese shop owner or manager currently selling cut to order British cheese, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact Anna Juhl, Cheese Journeys CEO & Founder at anna@cheesejourneys.com or phone 435-503-2282
Contact Daria Mosman, Neal’s Yard Dairy Sales Manager at daria.mosman@nealsyarddairy.co.uk or phone 929-519-0011
2027 PROGRAM
CURD TO COUNTER Britain 2027 is a mentorship program designed exclusively by Cheese Journeys in collaboration with some of the UK’s finest cheesemakers, and supported by Neal’s Yard Dairy. The mentorship will run from April 6 - 10 ahead of our signature British Cheese Odyssey April 11 - 18, so participants complete the mentorship and then join the 8-day tour!
To apply, you simply need to be a cheese professional currently working in the industry and involved in selling British artisan cheese. Contact Anna Juhl, Cheese Journeys Founder and CEO, via email at anna@cheesejourneys.com for more information.
Photography by Winter Caplanson and courtesy of Neal’s Yard Dairy and Gourmino respectively.