While most casual fromage fans might not even know that a proper way to store cheese exists, a cheese-centric startup in Portland, Oregon developed a product specifically designed to help preserve and protect their favored food.
Formaticum makes their Cheese Paper with an outer layer of wax paper that allows the cheese to breathe. An inner plastic membrane guards against excess moisture, but is porous enough to allow oxygen exchange, creating a cave-like environment for prolonging the cheese's shelf life. The difference, as the brand puts it, is "between eating vibrant and delicious cheese or dead and rotten cheese."
A concept nicely in synch with the international Slow Food movement, Formaticum prints the wraps with a map of small-batch farmers in the U.S., hoping to raise awareness about the many delicious cheeses produced domestically.
Each package of 15 contains 11" x 14" two-ply sheets—enough to wrap nearly 25 pounds of cheese—and retails for about $10. It sells throughout the U.S. at specialty stores, as well as online from Sur la Table or directly from Formaticum.
