Exploring One of the Top 10 Most Iconic Cheese Shops in America with Jessica Keahey of Sweet Freedom Cheese

Summary

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Jessica Keahey, Owner of Sweet Freedom Cheese, Arkansas’s first cut-to-order cheese shop, offering a curated selection of artisanal cheeses, cured meats, wine and complementary gourmet food. Since its opening in 2018, Sweet Freedom Cheese has been featured in many notable publications, including Culture Magazine, Taste of Home and The Wall Street Journal. Most recently, Sweet Freedom Cheese was named by Wine Enthusiast as one of “The Top Ten Most Iconic Cheese Shops in America”. Throughout the episode, James and Jessica discuss the intricacies behind being a cheese monger, why Jessica opened her cheese shop in Bentonville and the fascinating world of cheese.

Thanks for tuning in!

Show Notes

Timestamps in this blog are for the audio-only version of the podcast; video timing differs.

(0:53) Introduction to Jessica Keahey

(5:52) About Sweet Freedom Cheese

(13:12) Jessica’s Favorite Cheese

(21:41) Sweet Freedom Cheese’s Events and Classes

(23:11) Why Jessica Opened Sweet Freedom Cheese in Bentonville

(26:50) How COVID Affected Sweet Freedom Cheese

(31:35) Operating a Business in Bentonville

(35:39) #BecauseBentonville Story

(41:17) What’s Next for Sweet Freedom Cheese

(51:49) Jessica’s Favorite Moment That Involved Cheese

(55:20) How Engineering Has Helped Jessica Own a Cheese Shop

(58:22) Closing Question

‍Links

James Bell 

Bentonville Economic Development 

Jessica Keahey

Sweet Freedom Cheese

Quotes

“I think especially artisan cheeses that people are not familiar with, there is a real opportunity for education to really tell the story of the cheesemaker because that is part of the tale, and we start to create a relationship with our customers…it’s a lot of fun and it’s a very different kind of labor intensive business model to do.” - Jessica Keahey, (6:06)

“I’ve been in Northwest Arkansas for twenty-three years and I do consider it home. So I think that we deserved a cheese shop and I felt like it was something that we were ready for. It’s a great culinary hub.” - Jessica Keahey, (23:19)

“[Bentonville’s] such a great culinary place. You get to see these things that are evolving here. It’s such an interesting place as well, and it’s a great business-friendly community. There’s a lot of local support for things like culinary.” - Jessica Keahey, (31:36)