OUR STORY
New Zealand is home to some of the finest artisan cheesemakers in the world. Small-batch, craft-driven, and quietly exceptional — the kind of producers who pour everything into their work but rarely get the shelf space they deserve.
The Cheese Wheel exists to change that.
Each month, from our Wellington base, we hand-select four exceptional New Zealand artisan cheeses and dispatch them straight to your door. Every cheese is chosen on merit alone. We’re proudly independent from any single producer, which means your box is never weighted towards one maker — just the best of what Aotearoa has to offer right now.
We know these cheesemakers personally. We understand their craft, and champion their work because we genuinely believe in it.
New Ownership
The Cheese Wheel has recently come under new ownership, and with it, a new chapter. The mission remains exactly the same — to celebrate New Zealand’s artisan cheese community and bring the very best of it to your table. What’s changed is the team behind it: a group who between them span 27 years of specialty cheese expertise, deep industry relationships, and a shared belief that great cheese deserves great company.
Founders’ Acknowledgment
The Cheese Wheel was founded by Kevin, Mark, and Nancy — three passionate advocates for New Zealand artisan cheese who built something genuinely special. We’re proud to continue what they started, and grateful for the community they created along the way.
Michael and Suzie
Owners
A former underground miner and a bookkeeper which is not the most obvious path into the world of artisan cheese. Michael has been in the industry for the last decade and since 2022, Michael and Suzie have been embedded in New Zealand’s dairy community as owners of Cheeselinks, one of NZ’s most trusted suppliers of cheesemaking and yoghurt-making ingredients.
Working closely with many of the country’s finest artisan producers, they’ve seen first-hand the care and craft that goes into every wheel, block, and round. They know the people, the process, and what makes a great cheese great.
Taking on The Cheese Wheel felt like a natural next step, a chance to support New Zealand’s cheesemakers from both ends of the journey: supplying what goes in, and celebrating what comes out. For Michael and Suzie, this isn’t just a business. It’s a genuine extension of something they already love.
Jo
Customer Experience Manager
Jo is the warm voice behind every email, the one who remembers your preferences, and the person who genuinely cares whether you loved what was in your box. Her passion for cheese is matched only by her commitment to making sure every Cheese Wheeler has an exceptional experience.
Whether you have a question about your subscription, need help choosing a gift, or just want to talk about what you’ve been tasting — Jo is your first call. She’s the kind of person who makes customer service feel less like a function and more like a conversation with someone who actually knows their cheese.
For all retail and subscription enquiries, get in touch with Jo via email or phone 0204 082 1334
FRANCO
BUSINESS MANAGER
With almost 30 years in New Zealand’s specialty cheese industry, Franco brings a depth of knowledge and passion that is difficult to overstate. A turophile in the truest sense, he is an accredited international cheese judge and New Zealand’s Ambassador for the International Cheese and Dairy Award (ICDA, UK) — one of the most prestigious recognition programmes in the global dairy industry.
Franco is the founder of The Grand Gourmand Ltd and has held senior management, sales, and directorship roles throughout his career. He is a regular contributor to Mindfood and Inseason magazines, where he writes about food, lifestyle, and the art of eating well.
At The Cheese Wheel, Franco’s role is to ensure every selection reflects the very best of New Zealand’s artisan producers — and that the standard, always, is world-class.
For trade accounts, wholesale, and commercial enquiries, Please contact Franco via email or Phone 0272 766 526
