One simple mission: get authentic Wisconsin cheese curds across the Atlantic and into a Packers bar in Paris.
Harder than expected. The mission started with a simple question and quickly became a real Wisconsin-to-Paris logistics puzzle: finding the right producer, working at a realistic quantity, navigating international shipping and getting the curds safely to O'Neil.
Wisconsin suppliers, cheesemakers and retailers contacted.
Large B2B quantities don't fit a first Paris test, so the search moves toward smaller producers.
Tariffs, import rules, shipping and cold-chain reality.
The payoff: authentic Wisconsin curds on a Packers Sunday in Paris.
We are sharing the mission as it happens. These are conversations and leads, not formal partners unless stated otherwise.
Wyatt at All Star Cheese was enthusiastic and extremely helpful. Their B2B model operates at quantities far beyond what we need for an initial Paris test, but he is helping point us toward smaller Wisconsin producers that could be a better fit. All Star also comes to France for an annual cheese convention, so a future Sunday Service at O'Neil may even be on the table.
We are also in touch with a connection to August Westphal of Hartford, once known as the Wisconsin Cheese King for owning as many as 50 cheese factories. It gives the mission a great Wisconsin-history thread while we search for the right modern-day route to Paris.
Wisconsin Cheese Mart is another Milwaukee lead as we look for a retailer or producer capable of helping with a smaller, realistic shipment for Paris.
One smaller Milwaukee company initially seemed ready to help, but ultimately told us that new tariff and import complications made the shipment unworkable. First real obstacle logged. Mission very much not over.
The point isn't just to find cheese. It's to build a real little bridge between Wisconsin and Paris through Packers culture — and document every strange step along the way.