ACCIDENT, MD. – FireFly Farms, nationally and internationally-awarded maker of artisan cheese, is pleased to welcome Cristi Menard as their National Director of Sales & Marketing. Cristi, who has always been dedicated to expanding her horizons, joined the FireFly Farms’ leadership team this week.
“We are thrilled to say the least,” said Mike Koch, FireFly Farms’ president and co-founder. “Cristi’s reputation, relationships, and experiences in our industry are exemplary. She is a bright-star among today’s cheese making and cheese mongering communities.”
At Boston University, Cristi studied International Relations as well as Japanese Language and Literature and later taught English in rural Japan. It was a trip to southern France in 2005 and an experience with a crottin that pointed to cheese as her true “North Star.”
In 2008, Cristi joined the team at Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine in Chicago, working her way up from cheese mongering behind the counter to store operations management to procurement management. In the summer of 2013, she joined the team at Spring Brook Farm in Vermont as National Sales Manager. In her quest to deepen her knowledge and understanding of cheese and the cheese industry, she has spent time in the arches of the United Kingdom’s Neal’s Yard Dairy, has toured the caves of Fort St. Antoine in France, and visited countless small dairy and cheesemaking operations here in the United States. She has participated as a speaker at the annual American Cheese Society (ACS) Conference and was one among the first class of ACS Certified Cheese Professionals. When not totally surrounding herself with all things cheese, she enjoys a good book, fast cars, and cooking for friends and family.
Cristi joins the company’s leadership team and will dedicate her efforts to growing FireFly Farms’ market reach and its brand, growing in tandem the company’s beneficial impact on the rural communities that surround its manufacturing operations in Maryland’s westernmost Garrett County.
“After seventeen years, we continue to grow with a purpose,” said FireFly Farms’ head cheese maker Dan Porter. “Rural jobs and thriving family farms in our region – these things matter. We’re just trying to do our part; making delicious cheese is a great way to make a difference!”
FireFly Farms is Maryland’s premier and most-awarded cheese maker. having earned more than 120 individual awards of excellence for its artisan cheeses.
For more on FireFly Farms, visit https://fireflyfarms.com.
About FireFly Farms Inc.
Founded in 2000 by partners Mike Koch and Pablo Solanet, FireFly Farms now comprises a community of cheese makers and cheese mongers dedicated to making excellent cheese and creating value for their regional farming community as well as Garrett County Maryland’s rural economy. They are committed to ensuring their operations are sustainable and protect our natural environment for future generations. FireFly Farms is a proud member of the Maryland Cheese Guild and the American Cheese Society. They enthusiastically support the growth of sustainable farming, food production, and artisan cheese making in their region and across the nation.
