The story of Olivia’s Beer Cheese is really a story about my dad.  

You see, I fell in love with beer cheese when I was 3 years-old – thanks to my dad – and I’ve been hooked ever since!

Beer cheese is part of the local culture in Lexington.  It’s a must-have at tailgates and parties.  It’s a staple on restaurant menus.  It’s what you serve – and eventually hover over – when friends come visit.  It’s what you reach for in the fridge but finish off before you can put it back.  It’s a Kentucky specialty.

Growing up, beer cheese was always my favorite snack.  After school while watching tv, or with friends while taking a break from playing.  At holiday celebrations, family picnics, and trips to Lake Cumberland.  Beer cheese was, for me, a family tradition.  

When I left Kentucky to attend college, I was devastated to learn that I couldn’t buy beer cheese anywhere!  So a new tradition began – when I went home to Lexington for a visit, I’d pack a cooler of beer cheese and haul it back to my dorm room fridge.  Even after college when I moved to Chicago, the tradition continued.

And then my dad decided to, as he called it, “go to beer cheese school”, which was my dad’s phraseology for having a friend teach him how to make beer cheese.  Luckily, the end-product was top-notch, and my family had a new favorite beer cheese – our own!

Now the beer cheese I was taking back to Chicago was our own!  My dad began sharing it with family and friends, and everyone loved it so much that they encouraged us to enter a local competition.  So, in 2010, we entered our beer cheese into the amateur competition at the 2010 Beer Cheese Festival in Winchester, KY, and to our surprise – and delight – we won!

That was the beginning of Olivia’s Beer Cheese. 

After winning that competition, my dad decided to turn an empty office in his office building into a little commercial kitchen, as if to say, “Olivia, you should do this!  I’ll be your helper.”  My brother jumped in to work on logistics, and I focused on branding, marketing, and strategy. 

We officially launched Olivia’s Beer Cheese in 2012.  I spent the next few years building my business and brand.  I drove back and forth between Chicago and Lexington every few weeks, and when I did, my dad, brother, and I would crank out as much beer cheese as we could.  Even my mom helped with labeling!  And you know what?  Working together brought my family closer together.  

In 2015, my husband and I moved from Chicago to Cincinnati to start a family.  I became a full-time mom, running and evolving my business along with my growing and evolving family.  Lily was born in 2016 and Barrett in 2018.  After having Barrett, I moved my beer cheese production from Lexington to Northern Kentucky, just across the river from where I live in Cincinnati, so that I could more easily juggle my business and family.

Throughout all the changes, my dad was the constant.  His support.  His help.  His belief in me.  His countless drives between Lexington and Cincinnati to help with logistics, see his grandkids, and to do whatever he could to make my life easier and my business run smoother.  

And then he passed away in early 2022.  My world forever changed, and I am still grieving the loss.  But alongside the tears, I have also found immense gratitude for this little business we started together because it gave me 10 years of more time and more memories with my dad.  It gave my dad and my kids, who lovingly call him “G-Daddy,” the gift of time with each other, too.  

Now, every time I’m in the kitchen making a batch of beer cheese, not only am I continuing my dad’s legacy, but I also feel connected to my dad.  Sometimes, I even feel his presence.  It’s like he’s still here cheering me on!  

And even more special – my daughter, Lily, has become part of our story, too!  You see, my dad got her hooked on beer cheese when she was just a baby, and now she’s obsessed just like me!  She loves helping me at sampling events.  I love that she’s growing up seeing what it means to build something from scratch.  My dad would love it, too!

This little business has always been about more than just cheese. It’s about family, connecting, and making something that brings people together. 

Whether you’re snacking at home or showing up to a party with a tub in hand, I hope Olivia’s Beer Cheese brings a little joy to your table and your family – just as it has for mine.  

From our family to yours.. thank you for reading our story, and we hope you enjoy our beer cheese!