Wise Traditions 569: Traditional Vs. Industrial Cheese: Does It Matter Where Your Cheese Comes From? With Trevor Warmedahl
Mar 9, 2026
Trevor Warmedahl, cheesemaker, fermentation educator, and author of Cheese Trekking, has worked with artisanal cheesemakers worldwide. He explores traditional versus industrial cheesemaking. He talks about microbes as partners, cheese terroir and lost diversity, local rennet and salt, and surprising traditional cheeses and practices from around the globe.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Sicilian Shepherds Milk Into Buckets
- Trevor watched Sicilian shepherds hand-milk sheep into open buckets with dust and debris falling into the milk and then filter it later.
- Despite this, the immediate cheesemaking produced safe, flavorful cheese that surprised his sterile-trained expectations.
Contamination Is Another Word For Life
- "Contamination is life" reframes microbes in milk as inherent ecosystem participants, not enemies to be eliminated.
- Trevor links the antimicrobial paradigm to rising allergies and argues for a probiotic approach to food and farming.
Terroir Has Been Removed From Most Cheeses
- Terroir in cheese exists but is often erased by low-bacteria milk, standardized starter cultures, and homogenizing industrial practices.
- Two global companies supply most starter cultures, producing cheeses with similar flavors worldwide.
