Photo by EMMA HIGHFILL
Stumpy’'s Smoked Cheese
Quint and Stacy Cook, owners of Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese, turned a hobby into a full time family business where even their four sons love to help too.
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JULY/AUGUST 2020
Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese started out as a hobby for Quint Cook. After tasting smoked cheeses shared at work by a colleague, he began to try the process on his own, learning through trial and error how to achieve the best flavors. “I melted a lot of cheese along the way,” Quint said. He got the hang of it, though, and soon he was creating such delicious cheeses that family and friends began asking if they could place orders. In the fall of 2017, Quint Cook’s employer let him know that there would not be a bonus that year. The family had four boys, including a new baby, and parents Stacy and Quint
TK Business Magazine
were counting on the bonus to pay for Christmas for the family, as it had in years past. “We had a few months before Christmas,” Stacy said, “so we had to get creative. I suggested that we get a booth at the Apple Festival in Ward Meade Park to sell cheese, and to be honest, Quint just laughed at first. He didn’t really believe that there would be enough interest to make much money from selling cheese, but he agreed to try it.” The couple asked a friend to help with a banner and borrowed a canopy tent. When they filled out the vendor application for the festival, the name Stumpy’s fell into place.
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