Catching up with First Fridays Speakers: Megan Lewis of Milk Made

Megan at the opening of the Red River Market (July 11, 2020)

In the two years since Megan Lewis shared the story of her cheese-centered catering business at First Fridays, Milk Made has made huge strides. As she describes it, Milk Made was “just an infant” back then, having only been in operation for about 11 months. Since then, Megan has achieved her goal of scaling the business to full-time and maintained her vision of a successful company – balance between work and home. Milk Made began using the incubator business model, utilizing Square One’s commercial kitchen rentals and continued to achieve success under that model. It allows Megan flexible working hours without the stress that accompanies a brick-and-mortar establishment.

Megan, whose effervescent personality is immediately apparent, and is known for wearing cheese wheel earrings, acknowledges that cheese can be intimidating. Like wine or liquor, it’s hard to know where to start and what to look for in terms of tasting, pairing, and quality. One of Megan’s goals for Milk Made is to make cheese and charcuterie fun and approachable. In fact, she has engineered creative ways to keep customers engaged including a cheese and Girl Scout Cookie pairing class, and a Milk Maiden voyage in which she took customers on a mystery bus to creameries and breweries to learn about their processes. She loves that whatever new idea she throws out there, her customers are fully on board.

In addition to trying to make the world of cheese a little less overwhelming, Megan focuses her attention on supporting local artisans. She considers her role as that of a storyteller, providing customers with the background of the cheese they’re buying by describing how it was made, where, and why they should buy it. Without fostering those relationships with the producers, she wouldn’t be able to provide their stories. And, she notes, by purchasing directly from the producer, Milk Made eliminates the lost margin that often occurs for the artisan when buying from a wholesaler.

Megan’s passions extend beyond the cheese counter and into the community. Because of First Fridays, she has met others who have the same ideals as her and established strong connections within the food community. She volunteered with and became a board member of Growing Together Community Garden, and worked with Heart-n-Soul Community Café, whose mission is to address food insecurity. 

Megan’s goal for Milk Made is to continue bringing cheese to the masses, in the most fun and approachable way possible. Due to COVID-19, classes were moved online, but because of their success, they may become more regular. She has always seen her business growth as something that happens organically, allowing her customers to help her move it in the direction they want it to go. That continued growth, however, will unlikely include a brick-and-mortar storefront. The incubator model works so well for Megan’s business that she doesn’t see a physical location in the Milk Made’s future. One thing is for certain: Megan will continue bringing fun, fresh ideas to her clientele. When asked what kind of cheese describes Milk Made, she responds giddily with an on-the-spot, yet extremely thoughtful answer: “Alp Blossom,” she says. It’s a cheese that comes from the Alps and beautifully covered in dried flowers and herbs but when cut open provides a nutty flavor. Megan continues, “cheese is very beautiful and elegant and expensive, but I also try to make it nutty and funky, or fun, at the same time.” 

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