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Scott Robbins & Andrea Siefring-Robbins
Co-Founders of Urban Stead Cheese
Cincinnati, Ohio
Scott Robbins and Andrea Siefring-Robbins brought their shared love of fermentation and deep dairy-farming roots to life when they founded Urban Stead Cheese in Cincinnati. Before cheese, Scott worked in the wine industry and became a Level 2 Sommelier, while Andrea built a career in financial reporting, backed by an accounting degree and an MBA. Now, they’ve combined technical expertise with a love for flavor to build a business that reflects their values. Together, they’ve brought artisanal cheesemaking to a city not traditionally known for it—and are paving the way forward.
Who is your biggest inspiration in the cheese world?
Gosh, there are so many sources of inspiration, but I think we’re both in awe of the work being done by Rachel Fritz Schaal and Peter Dixon at Parish Hill Creamery. And from a leadership perspective, we’re constantly looking to Zingerman’s Deli co-founder Ari Weinzweig as a source of inspiration.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve experienced or overcome in this industry?
We operate in a region that doesn’t have a strong cheesemaking culture, so we’ve really had to introduce it to our city. It’s taken a lot of time and effort to do this work, to find people and teach them how to make cheese. I think we assumed people would automatically be interested and eager to join us, but that wasn’t the case—it’s been a real labor of love.
What’s Next?
It’s always our goal to get better every day. We’re working on some R&D projects, but right now, our biggest focus is growing our distribution footprint.
Pair a song with cheese: Listen to the entire cheese pairing playlist on Spotify!
Anything from Bob Marley—that’s probably what’s playing most during cheesemaking, so it naturally pairs well with our cheese!
What’s the cheese you’re raving to your friends about right now?
We’re always raving about Uplands Cheese Rush Creek Reserve—it’s something we talk about all year long. We’re also so impressed with the cheeses coming out of Perrystead Dairy; they’re all so unique.
If you weren’t in the cheese industry, what would your career be?
Probably something in the wine industry.
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