About Hanna, your Burgundian cheese expert :

Thank you for your interest in Lactique974 !

I am a French-American cheesemonger living and working in Bourgogne. My parents met in Beaune and throughout my childhood in Virginia, I was fortunate to be surrounded by good cheese, local food and many opportunities to travel.

One of my earliest cheese experiences was helping at Caromont Farm at age 12. I assisted Gail with the farm chores and packaging of her cheeses for sale (and when I could, quality control!). With that experience, my interest in cheese and food production blossomed and the following years were filled with discovery of new cheeses and visits to a variety of interesting food production facilities including a producer in the Jura making Morbier, a foie gras farm in southwestern France, a salt mine in Poland and of course mustard in Bourgogne.

I had the opportunity to study abroad in Geneva while at the University of Virginia. While there, I would choose new cheeses to taste weekly and made an excursion to the town of Gruyères to see the production of its eponymous cheese. Instead of returning home after my program, I decided to volunteer through WWOOF and moved to a farm near Trieste, Italy. At the farm, I assisted Nonna Sonia with the cheese making, animal care and preparations in the Agritourismo. This incredible adventure furthered my interest in cheese production and local food.

Once I graduated from U.V.A, I was hired to work as a financial planner at Merrill Lynch. Very quickly I realized my passion was in food instead of finance and made the decision to pursue a different path. After managing events ( including a food and wine pairing) at my father’s Virginia winery, I took a job at Wegmans as a Team Leader in their cheese department. Through my time at Wegmans, including being transferred to a top 5 store, I was able to taste hundreds of cheeses, organize cheese and wine pairings with the wine department to optimize sales, learn proper food safety techniques, as well as cheese board assembly. After two years, I was hungry for more cheese and to reconnect with my French heritage. I took the plunge and decided to move to Beaune in 2019 where I was hired by Fromagerie Alain Hess.

At Hess, and in Beaune, I immersed myself in cheese, gastronomy and wine. I visited producers on my days off and took myself to the Salon du Fromage, the Mondial du Fromage and an exploratory visit of Rungis. After two years behind the counter, I decided to make the move to starting my own cheese project.

I took on a part-time job at my father’s winery in Meursault, but it very quickly became full time. I was able to take responsibility of many aspects of the winery’s day to day activities and started a tasting room which proposed cheese and wine pairings.

Now, after two years of winery management, I am following the path back to cheese. I continue to oversee the winery and welcome clients, but I am creating Lactique974 to return to the product which impassions me ! Armed with level 1 and level 2 of the WSET program, Academy of Cheese Level 1 and a certification from MonS Formation in Affinage, I am ready to provide amazing cheese experiences for those who live in and visit our beautiful region.

I can’t wait to meet you and help you discover the rich cheese culture in Bourgogne !

Stay cheesy,