“We want as many people who are willing to indulge in this to get a chance,” said Fromagination owner Ken Monteleone. “We’re not trying to sell it to people who want 1 pound; then they’ll try to resell it and that’s not the goal. We want to celebrate what the Hooks have done.”
Both Metcalfe’s and Fromagination are selling it for $209 a pound, which is the same price the Hooks will be setting when it debuts May 29 at their Mineral Point shop and May 30 at their stand at a local farmer’s market. It will be available at other stores and restaurants, and the Hooks are still taking orders.
“The reality is I should be charging $360 a pound for it but who is going to pay that?” Monteleone said. “We’re not looking at it as our moneymaker. We look at it as a chance to create excitement about artisan cheese.”
When Hook’s released the original 15-year cheddar, it was believed to be the oldest cheese that had been commercially available. In 2012, a cheese shop owner found some 40-, 34- and 28-year in the back of a cooler when he closed his store. It was sold at a cheese shop in Milwaukee, with 40-year going for $10 an ounce.
The Hook’s cheese wasn’t a case of lost inventory but a plan that was put in place after the 15-year was such a success. Hook checked the cheese a couple times a year since setting it aside, though he hasn’t tasted it since the fall.
“It’s really, really good,” he said.