Igniting Flavor & Community | STUMPY'S SMOKED CHEESE
Photos by JOHN BURN
Quint and Stacy Cook had talked about starting a business together, but they never imagined that smoked cheese would be at the heart of their success story. Quint Cook began smoking cheese as a hobby, and soon friends and family began asking to place orders. In 2016, the couple decided to try selling 3 flavors of cheese at the Apple Festival in Topeka, hoping to make a little extra money for Christmas. They were stunned when they sold all the cheese they had brought. They stayed up all night to prepare more for a second day of sales, and completely sold out that day, too. Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese was officially in business.
For the next four years, they attended every fair and event that they could, meeting other makers, building their network of repeat customers, and establishing relationships with local retailers. In 2019 Quint was able to leave his former job to focus on the business full-time. They opened a food truck, expanded their reach online, and continued to build local partnerships.
In 2020, Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese worked with other local makers to create gift baskets filled with a variety of goods for Mother’s Day. Stacy Cook coordinated orders for products and distributed baskets to customers, and the other small businesses and makers involved shared in the profits. The project was so successful that they did it again during the winter holiday season in 2020, to overwhelmingly positive feedback.
As 2020 drew to a close, Stacy and Quint felt very happy with their sales and the growth of their business, but they had faced some challenges and limitations with not having a retail location. They wanted the ability to be consistently available at the same place and times to build relationships with regular customers. And while they value their online sales, the Cooks really want to meet customers and see people’s reactions to their products.
“Meeting people face to face is so cool for me,” Stacy said. “Feedback you get is just different when you can see someone’s face.”
They decided to make the leap and opened their store in November of 2021 at 2104 NW Topeka Blvd. Stacy says it was the right decision for their business, and it has paid off in many ways.
“We have a place to store our materials and equipment, a home base for catering, and we can separate business life from personal life a bit,” Stacy said. “And best of all, we can create an experience for our customers and build relationships in person.”
Stacy wants people to enjoy shopping at Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese, and for the store to be a destination for travelers as well as a local favorite. Stumpy’s provides samples of all their products, every single day. If there is a product you want to try and no sample available, you can ask staff to open one for you, so you can try before you buy.
“We carry unique things that you won’t find in other stores in Topeka,” Stacy said. “Flavored crickets have been one of our most popular items for sampling. We have a bag open for people to try, and people video the tasting and have fun with the experience.”
Stacy loves to help people find new products that they’ll enjoy, or to advise them on creating a customized gift for someone special. You can build your own gift basket with the guidance of Stumpy’s staff when you visit the store. Gift crates are available by the door. Choose a price point, then gather your specified number of meats, cheeses, jellies and crackers. Stumpy’s staff will help you find the perfect local foods based on what your loved one enjoys or recommend flavors that go well together.
Having a retail location has also enabled Stacy to hire young people and mentor them in business.
“I’m passionate about working with the younger generation and helping them learn about running a business,” Stacy said. “I’ve been able to pass on some good lessons learned from my own experience and give young people a positive place to learn business skills.”
The Cooks sponsor Topeka Children’s Business Fair each year to support youth in business. It’s an opportunity for kids to learn about how to give good service, display merchandise, count back change and so on. Kids have an opportunity to learn hands-on and get encouragement and advice as they work for their dream.
So, what’s next for Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese? In the last year, Stumpy’s has started smoking snacks, and they’ve turned out to be incredibly popular. Sometimes they sell 150 packages of snacks in a day. They are also a lot easier to ship than cheeses for wholesale distribution, so the Cooks see an opportunity for growth. They’ve hired a company to design a bag for official packaging, and they aim to invest in a cold packer so that they can scale up production in the future. They’ve also hired a content creator to help them tell their story and reach new audiences with social media.
The Cooks feel a lot of gratitude when they think about how far they have come with their business. Stacy says it wouldn’t be possible without the support of the Topeka business community.
“We share so many experiences and can compare notes and support one another,” Stacy said. “We all do what we can to lift each other up, and seeing one succeed motivates everyone else.”
