Are you one of those lucky people that either has a cow or goat dairy farm?  Have you ever considered of making artisan cheeses full time instead of selling your milk to a local cooperative?  Maybe you want to make cheese, but don't have the milk-producing animals.  In that case, a local dairy may consider selling their whole milk to you.  While this may seem like a pie-in-the-sky idea, more and more farmers (and a few cheese lovers) are discovering artisan cheeses.  This type of business is being spurred on by a market for these products from boutique restaurants in wine regions and other vacation areas.

It should go without saying that anyone who wants to start a business, any business, should have a business plan. When it comes to artisan cheeses, knowing how to make them is a pre-requisite. If you haven't the foggiest idea on where to start when it comes to starting a business, check out the Small Business Administration website. They have tons of information, forms and more to help you get started, and they also will meet you in person to help formulate your ideas too!

If you're already running a dairy business or have been toying with the idea of turning some of that excess milk into something that can be sold, you're in the expanding-a-business stage. My advice to anyone who wants to go down the artisan cheese business road is to start making road trips to visit creameries that make the artisan cheeses. Cultivate a few friends who are cheese makers and start collecting every book on the subject that you can.

Do what you know and the money will follow. This is especially true in the cheese making business. There are people who are self-taught who have made a great go in this specialty market, and are turning a profit after only three years. Alternatively, if you have the funds, hire someone who knows the business and who can help you along. Not only will you need to learn the ins-and-outs of the business from a mentor, but you will also need to learn how to make the cheeses successfully and will need a specifically built cheese cave for your merchandise.

Check out your local colleges and universities for classes on cheese making. There are also a lot of good books and videos available on the Internet for those with the desire to learn.

In many states you can't operate a food business out of your home unless it measures up to certain standards.  Therefore, most people who run an artisan cheese business have a separate building and cheese cave for this purpose.  This makes it much easier to keep the health inspectors or agriculture product inspectors happy and you out of trouble.  Don't forget- before your business can be off and running (which means selling products), the inspection has to be done.  Check your state's website for information on how and when these inspections can be conducted for your business.

One of the most important things you'll need for your business is a cheese cave or, if you're financially rolling in the dough, a series of refrigerators that can be set to different temperatures for the curing process.

If you're one of the lucky few, you may live in an area where there are communal cheese caves. It costs around $3 million to build a warehouse-sized one, but if you live in Greensboro, Vermont for example, you can be part of the Jasper Hill cheese cave cooperative.

Personally, I live in a house that was built on a fieldstone foundation in 1846. My basement is a ready-made cheese cave, but I'm just a budding entrepreneur right now and haven't started scouting the area to build a separate one.

Having a ready-made market is helpful, but not always necessary. The beauty of cheese is that most of it travels well and can probably reach any destination when packed properly. Since there is pressure to buy and sell locally, your closest customer may be a neighbor, a neighborhood restaurant or a local grocery store.

Again, check out the resources available to you from the Small Business Administration. Also grab a few copies of the regional magazines at your local newsstand. This will give you an idea of whom you can market your products to.