Ep. 7: Mike Koch & Pablo Solanet, Co-Founders, FireFly Farms

“Be really aware that you don’t know what you don’t know.” – Mike Koch, President and Co-Founder, FireFly Farms

“You have to realize you can’t do everything.” – Pablo Solanet, Creative Director and Co-Founder, FireFly Farms

Mike Koch and Pablo Solanet are co-founders of FireFly Farms, known for their award-winning goat cheeses. They operate a friendly retail store and cheese production facility in Accident, MD near Deep Creek Lake.

Before making Garrett County their full-time home, they were living and working in Washington, D.C. Mike was a senior leader for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while Pablo was a pastry chef at New Heights restaurant.

Mike and Pablo originally purchased their Garrett County farm and home as a vacation and weekend getaway. When their neighbor had nanny goats available after completing a 4-H project, they jumped into goat farming. One weekend they experimented with making cheese, and a new business was born!

Listen to the podcast, watch the full-length video or highlight videos for key takeaways:  

• Mike and Pablo bought their farm in 1997 as a country home and Washington, D.C. getaway.
• Both co-founders were early foodies. They started making goat cheese because a neighbor had nanny goats for a 4-H project that were giving milk.
• Pablo grew up in Argentina and spent summers working at his grandparents’ ranch. He moved to the U.S. at age 19.
• Pablo was the pioneer! He left his restaurant position and moved to Garrett County full-time to take care of the goats. There were moments of culture shock and tough winters.
• Mike’s grandfather had an 88-acre farm in Iowa with cows, pigs, goats, corn and other crops where Mike spent his summers. He grew up making cheese with his grandmother. His great-great-grandfather was a cheese maker in Switzerland.
• Mike continued to work in D.C. for ten years after FireFly was started. He then held economic development posts in Garrett County and D.C.
• FireFly won Blue and Silver awards in 2002 at their first American Cheese Society competition. These cheeses were created by Pablo using milk from goats that he raised on their farm.
• Mike and Pablo no longer raise goats. They purchase milk from nine local, family farms.
• They self-financed their first twenty years in business, drawing on savings and Mike’s stock options. They recently completed a Series A fundraising round to finance expansion.
• The first FireFly staff were brought on-board to produce cheese and to help with sales and marketing.
• FireFly cheeses were sold only through grocery stores their first ten years in business. They opened the Accident, MD store in 2011 because they needed additional manufacturing space.
• Whole Foods allowed FireFly to start small by distributing to just a few stores in 2002 and 2003. Pablo used to deliver the cheese to Whole Foods himself.
• FireFly cheese are now available at Whole Foods, Wegmans, Balducci's and MOM’s Organic Market.
• FireFly Farms will be expanding in 2020 through a second manufacturing location in Maryland and a second retail location in Baltimore, MD. They recently hired six staff to support the expansion.
• The market for artisan cheese is growing and processed cheese is decreasing in the U.S.
• In Maryland the cheese making community is tight-knit and support each other's growth.
• When starting a business, find your community and help others. All boats rise together.
• Mike and Pablo are very involved with the American Cheese Society.
• There’s never a boring day at FireFly Farms!
• Lake Pointe Inn is a wonderful hotel and inn at Deep Creek Lake, near FireFly Farms in Accident, MD.

+++++

Learn more about FireF