We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Clemens. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Noble Rind started when I had a ton of ideas but I didn’t know what to do with them. My dream job didn’t exist. At least it didn’t exist where I lived in rural Wisconsin. Somewhere during the pandemic it struck me that life is short and I better quit messing around and get to it. I knew I wanted to dig deeper into my passion for cheese. I knew that I wanted our business to serve and build community. And I knew we wanted to dedicate our business to celebrating farmers who take great care in their animal husbandry and commitment to the earth. I determined that I wanted to open a cheese shop with a small café that served food and wine. We knew we wanted our business to be a place of education and conscience of our environmental impact. It simultaneously felt tangible and out of reach all at once. I had never opened a business before so each and every step was a brand new learning experience. I had been working in the cheese industry for about ten years so I felt confident in regards to setting up a cheese case, what retail items we would carry, which farms we would work with and why. I didn’t however, have any operational knowledge beyond my professional experience. Once we made the decision to move forward the first big step was to develop a business plan. We needed to push through the exercise of really determining what are plan was and how we were going to execute it. We did market research, calculated cost, looked at equipment and completed tons of phone calls and internet searches. These long nights of putting the puzzle pieces together took months and was just the beginning, but we knew we were developing something that would be bigger than ourselves and lend itself to the kind of community we wanted to live in.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Sarah Clemens and I am married to my long time love and co owner of Noble Rind Cheese- Chris Clemens. We are originally from Minnesota but now hail from the great cheese sate of Wisconsin and have two awesome kids. Being from the Twin Cities I never imagined I would live in a small rural town and own my own business but as life would have it, it is working out pretty well. I had the amazing good fortune of working for two small business in MN that sold cheese. The women who owned and operated these business were unknowingly grooming me for a future that even I couldn’t see yet. I was endlessly intrigued with our local food system and wanted to learn all I could about the dairy industry and how some farmers were committed to doing things differently, some may say harder, way. Why? For the love of fine food I tell you. For the integrity of the animals and the land. At Noble Rind we seek out this nobility from the simplest pleasures of bread and butter to specialty cheeses that may only come out or be enjoyed once a year. We see education as a priority and want to build a communal space where you do your weekly shopping, treat yourself or come in to learn about cheeses from near and far. It’s in the little details like wrapping our cheeses in cheese paper instead of plastic. To sourcing and using the best ingredients in our café menu items. To making you a cheese or charcuterie board for your event or gathering and being intentional with each ingredient used. Cheese can be intimating but it doesn’t have to be. We like to think that casual foods can be elegant and elegant foods can be casual. Come in, bring your kids, learn something new and find your new favorite thing. Good food and it’s history deserves to be shared and enjoyed by everyone.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Opening Noble Rind was downright intimidating and the most challenging thing I have ever done. I often equate it with becoming a parent in that no one can really prepare you for what it feels like and it is somehow is the hardest and the best thing ever simultaneously. I have been wracked with insecurity and anxiety at times. It can also be lonely because your friends, family or even your staff can’t really understand exactly what’s all on your plate, on the line or the enormity of the pressure you are under. The best tools I have found so far is to consistently remind myself that I am enough. I am fully capable of figuring anything out. Every ‘failure’ is a major opportunity for growth and that I MUST get comfortable being uncomfortable. Some days will suck and some will be amazing. All of them are worth it. There are days that I question if my plan will work and days that I worry if there will be enough money in the bank account. So finding grace with myself is the only way to get through. Each day you get up and you keep going. You stay true to yourself and listen to your intuition. Each day you learn something new. Gratitude and grace are the name of the game. Simply existing in this world takes resilience. Don’t take anything too personally and say what’s up to your haters (or doubters) and do what you know is right in your heart anyway. You wont be sorry if you double down on yourself and your dreams.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

We used a variety of income sources to launch our business. Once we knew exactly how much debt we could take on responsibly and that the funding was secure we could move forward with signing our lease and ordering equipment.

Personal Savings.

Personal loan from family- Making small monthly payments back to people who love us and want to support us. (We are extremely fortunate for this opportunity.)

Bank Loan- Months of work poured into a proper and well though out business plan. The addition of personal equity and non cash value of our dedication and drive secured these funds.

Crowd Funding- We asked people to support us, initially against my will. As it happens, they were thrilled too. We chose Kickstarter and it was much harder than I anticipated to set up. The campaign was successful and now almost all of the rewards have gone out and it feels wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.noblerind.com
• Instagram: @noblerind
• Facebook: Noble Rind Cheese Company

Image Credits
Jen at Pink Spruce Photography @pinksprucephotography