Welcome to the third episode of Magazine St. Kitchen x Swiggy presents Speak Greasy with Gauri Devidayal Season 4. This time, Gauri sits down with Mausam Narang, founder of Eleftheria Cheese, to talk about her journey from the corporate world to becoming one of India's leading artisanal cheesemakers.

Mausam’s story begins in 2015 when she decided to make her own cheese after struggling to find high-quality, fresh options in India. With no prior experience in cheesemaking, she started experimenting at home, importing essential ingredients and converting a room into an ageing cave. Her commitment to the craft led her to experiment relentlessly, overcoming challenges in sourcing quality ingredients and refining her techniques before starting Eleftheria Cheese in Mumbai.

Mausam navigated the challenges of sourcing the right milk, convincing chefs to try locally made cheese, and educating the market about the differences between real cheese and processed alternatives. She focused on working with ingredient-driven restaurants that valued quality over price, helping Eleftheria gain a foothold in India’s fine dining scene. Over time, she built a reputation for producing world-class cheese that could stand alongside imported varieties.

Mausam shares the hurdles of working in an industry that lacked skilled professionals, required a strong cold chain for distribution, and was dominated by imported cheeses. She explains how her dedication to sourcing the best milk led her to partner with farmers and invest in training, ensuring every wheel of cheese met international standards.

She also discusses the slow shift in India’s cheese market, with more consumers seeking high-quality, locally made products. Despite the growing demand, the market for aged cheese remains small, and scaling artisanal cheesemaking continues to be a challenge. Shelf life limitations, logistics, and consumer education all play a role in shaping the future of the industry.

Eleftheria has won multiple global accolades, including recognition at the World Cheese Awards, where one of its cheeses ranked among the top five in the world. Mausam reflects on these milestones, the challenges of bootstrapping the business, and her vision of putting Indian cheese on the global map.

She also touches upon the cultural differences in cheesemaking, India’s historical relationship with dairy, and the unique role of Punjabi dairy farmers in Italy’s cheese industry. The conversation dives into how the perception of cheese is changing in India and what it takes to build a successful artisanal brand in a market that is still developing an appreciation for aged cheeses.

This episode offers an in-depth look at the world of artisanal cheesemaking in India, the challenges of category creation, and the passion required to build something from the ground up. Whether you’re a food enthusiast, a chef, or someone interested in the business of artisanal products, Mausam’s insights are invaluable.

Listen now to hear the full conversation about Eleftheria’s journey, the future of Indian cheese, and what it takes to create a thriving niche in an evolving food industry.

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