Tradition, elegance, family, artistry, innovation, and community—what do all of these values have in common? They are the defining principles of the Shaft’s Cheese & Co. vision and execution. As an enterprise built to bring more value and advantages to the premium cheese category, Shaft’s Cheese established these six principles in the pursuit of excellence.
“For 25 years, Shaft’s Cheese defined our evolution by sticking to our core values and ensuring that each product is an extension of these tenets,” Co-Owner John Gibson shares with me. “Our story began in 1999 with a serendipitous discovery. My father was offered ‘past date’ blue cheese, and after just one taste, he knew it was something special. He got to work sourcing the best ingredients and finding the perfect conditions to age blue cheese, which just so happened to be in an old mine shaft on my family’s property!”
For more than two decades, the company has been refining and growing its cheese portfolio with tradition, elegance, family, artistry, innovation, and community at its center. In our three-part series this year on Shaft’s milestone anniversary, we have explored each principle and shined a light on the trailblazing operation. Now, as we share part three with you, we will hear from John himself about innovation and community.
“We define innovation as the challenge to see problems and solutions in a new way. It is how we see the present and embark on the future,” John expresses. “Community is defined as the people around you. Those who are rooting for your success, just as you are rooting for theirs!”
These principles have evolved in many ways over the past 25 years while always remaining close to the definitions that they were founded upon.
“Shaft’s began aging blue cheese in a literal mine shaft in the Sierra Nevadas. Aging blue, at the beginning, was innovative in itself. Now, we’ve aged some of our blue up to three years. Additionally, we are the first hand-stuffed, brine-less blue cheese olives on the market. This is how innovation looks for Shaft’s,” John continues.
And innovation is directly tied to the community for John and the team. Without a community to enrich and support, innovation would simply be an aspiration. But community drives its execution.
“My dad was in this business for a long time, so he had a community that ran deep and sustained Shaft’s for a while,” John tells me. “Then, in 2021, my good friends, John and Andrea Whitfield, joined our team, and we’ve been able to expand that Shaft’s community. We are looking forward to expanding that as people find and fall in love with Shaft’s.”
Each principle aligns and elevates the company’s vision through products, processes, and branding. For innovation, as Shaft’s Cheese develops more SKUs, the company’s focus is to bring new and innovative ideas to the world of blue!
“We love the excitement we hear when people say, ‘I’ve never seen this before,’ and we are looking to continue that trend of innovation moving forward,” John expresses. “With our 25-year anniversary, we have noticed how we need to be more involved in our community here in California as well. We are spending extra time building relationships, giving back, and supporting the northern California area!”
Tradition, elegance, family, artistry, innovation, and community. These are the values of great leadership, an amazing team, and a category captain. They are also the gifts that keep on giving, from retail to the consumer table.
Congratulations, Shaft’s Cheese & Co.! May you continue to do amazing work and inspire us all. Happy 25th anniversary!
