26th October2025
project I cheese culture
German version
Rolling Cheese in Helsinki: How Two Britains Are Shaping Finland's Cheese Culture.
Susan and Barbara complete the Steers’ family happiness, and customers of Rolling Cheese in Helsinki can meet them together in the shop almost every day.
It’s a crisp October midday in Töölö, Helsinki, where sunlight filters through the early autumn leaves, casting a warm glow over the quaint streets. I meet Nelli Steer, co-founder of Rolling Cheese, in their flagship shop — a space that feels both intimate and vibrant. The scent of fine cheeses fills the air, a sensory testament to the life Nelli and her husband Peter have built in Finland.
Their story begins in London. “We got married in 2019 in Hackney, East London — a very small Christmas wedding, with plans to celebrate in Finland the following summer. But then COVID happened,” Nelli recalls. The couple met on a dating app. “Pete’s profile mentioned his wine and cheese expertise. I thought, this is the last man I’ll ever date — and I made sure he came on that first date,” she laughs. Their love, it seems, was built as much on shared tastes as on shared lives.
Today, five years after opening Rolling Cheese in Nelli’s home country, their space is far more than just a shop focused on high-quality cheeses from small producers. It is part deli, part wine bar, part culinary classroom. Here, customers are invited to taste, explore, and learn. Through curated tastings and workshops, Nelli and Peter are shaping Finland’s cheese consciousness from the ground up. Their journey reflects a blend of passion, patience, and an unwavering commitment to cultivating a new cheese culture in Finland.
"Pete began turning his dream of owning a cheese shop into reality – a place where people could experience cheese in a completely new way. It wasn’t long before we found the perfect location – with exactly the black-and-white tiled floor Pete had always dreamed of."
Why did you decide to move from London to Helsinki in 2020?
Nelli: We wanted to move away from London because after Brexit, the atmosphere changed. It no longer felt like our city, our home. We considered many places — France, New Zealand, and a few others — but Pete suggested, ‘Why not try Finland?’ I hadn’t been in my country for over fifteen years, and the idea felt like an adventure, a chance to rediscover roots while creating something completely new together. We gave ourselves two years to try it. But only a week after arriving in Helsinki, lockdown hit. I was self-employed at the time, running my own marketing business, and Pete started planning his shop, dreaming of a space that could introduce Finland to a new way of experiencing cheese. Nine months later, we stumbled upon the perfect shop — the black-and-white tiled floor Pete had always envisioned. The winter sun was shining through the large windows, illuminating the space in a way that felt almost cinematic. It was a cold, clear, and quiet day with that fairytale moment we were meant to step into.
Petes and Nellis’ shared journey begins in 2019 in London. Six years later, they captivate Finland with their innovative concept centered on authentic cheese experiences.
What kind of potential did you see for cheese in Finland at that time?
Nelli: We knew that Finnish people are among the largest cheese consumers in Europe — around 26 kilos per person per year. But what surprised us was that independent cheese shops had nearly vanished. Supermarkets had taken over, and the culture of exploring, tasting, and learning was gone. Our vision was to create a new concept, something bold: a deli where people could taste before they bought, where cheese wasn’t just a product but a story. We started small, focusing on our street, our district. It was a process of patience and trust-building. We wanted to give people an opportunity to fall in love with cheese, to experience it in new ways, and to share that experience with others. Today, Rolling Cheese is still the only place in Helsinki with this unique concept — a shop, a wine bar, and an educational space all in one. People have even asked if we’ll franchise to Tallinn, but that isn’t possible. You can’t copy a heart, a passion, or a lifestyle. This place is our life, our knowledge, and our commitment embodied in space and flavor.
What were the biggest differences compared to Britain’s long-established cheese culture — and how has Finland changed since then?
Nelli: The biggest difference was how emerging the culture was here. In the UK, cheese knowledge is broad and people are confident — they know what they want when they walk in. In Finland, it’s still tied to industrial dairies that control roughly 90 percent of the market. There wasn’t a culture of visiting small shops, and people didn’t always understand what we were doing. Our first space was smaller, but after one and a half years, we expanded. More people started coming regularly, more often than we anticipated. Interestingly, 75 percent of our customers trust our recommendations fully. They rely on us to guide them to new flavors — something that is very different from the UK, where customers often come with a clear idea. Here, the openness and curiosity make it necessary for us to train our staff more rigorously. When customers bring their wine, we bring the expertise — the story, the tasting technique, the education.
The openness and curiosity of Finnish customers means that Nelli and Peter need to train their staff especially thoroughly.
How do you train your employees for these situations?
Nelli: Training our staff involves multiple layers. The employees attend the Cheese Academy in the UK for Levels 1 and 2. Even though we have all fifty cheeses here, we want them to experience the broader culture, meet cheesemakers and affineurs, and bring that knowledge back to Helsinki. Beyond formal education, our in-house training program takes more than a year. Staff learn how to cut, wrap, store, and care for cheeses properly. So far, six full-time employees have become certified cheese experts. The key is passion and the right attitude — finding people who are excited to immerse themselves fully in cheese culture. We are extremely happy with the team we have now.
Why is there only one Finnish cheese in the shop?
Nelli: We focus on small producers. Finland has a history dominated by cooperatives like Valio and Arla, which prioritize large-scale production. Smaller producers often struggle because industrial milk is over-processed, leaving nearly none for artisanal quality. You cannot create great cheese from dead milk. The one Finnish cheese we carry is Marmori, made by Peter Dörig in Sastamala. He’s Swiss but has lived in Finland for thirty years, creating new cheeses while using local Finnish milk. It’s a light in the market, showing the way forward. It’s small-scale, brave, and passionate. But building a true artisanal scene in Finland will take another ten years I guess.
“At the beginning of Rolling Cheese, we didn’t offer events or workshops – today, they are one of the core aspects of our work. We run courses, host tastings, and share stories – not just about cheese, but about the people and places behind it.”
How would you describe your shared cheese philosophy in one sentence?
Nelli: Focus on products that respect the land, the animals, and the people. Most of the producers we work with are true farmstead cheesemakers — they not only make the cheese but also raise the animals that provide the milk. That connection is essential. The cheesemaker knows every cow, goat, or sheep by name; they call them their girls. When the animals are well-fed, healthy, and content, their milk carries these qualities. We always say: happy animals make great milk, and great milk makes beautiful cheese. It’s a simple truth that you can actually taste. The same goes for the land — cheesemakers who care for their soil and environment inevitably create better, more complex flavors. But that kind of integrity comes with challenges. In Finland, where industrial production dominates, it’s still difficult to sell these small-scale, environmentally conscious products. Yet, we believe this is the path forward: honest food, made with care, that respects every part of the process.
Is your personal vision with Rolling Cheese fulfilled after five years?
Nelli: We lost our focus for a little after opening a second shop. Soon we realized that growth for the sake of growth wasn’t what we wanted. One great thing done with full heart is far better than two done halfway. So we decided to return to our roots — to concentrate all our energy on one space, one community, one clear vision. We genuinely love working together — side by side, every day. During that time of reflection, our purpose became much clearer again: to focus on quality, authenticity, and human connection. When we first started, we didn’t host events or offer any kind of education. Now, that has become one of the most meaningful parts of our work. We teach classes, lead tastings, and share stories — not just about the cheeses themselves, but about the people and the land behind them. It’s about giving context, creating understanding, and building respect for the craft. We’ve also stayed true to our belief that cheese should be approachable. It can be premium without being a luxury product.
The Marmori by Peter Dörig, a kind of blend of Morbier and Appenzeller, is for Nelli and Peter the perfect example of where the journey of Finnish cheese culture could head in the long term.
How do younger generations in Finland respond to cheese?
Nelli: They are far braver than older generations. They try things they’ve never tasted before. Older generations often prefer traditional Swiss-style cheeses — the stronger, the stinkier, the better and ideally paired with a full-bodied red wine. There’s a nostalgia to it, a kind of reverence for the old European cheese culture that found its way to Finland in the late 19th century. Historically, that makes perfect sense. From the 1800s onward, many skilled cheesemakers — particularly from Switzerland — came to Finland to help establish the early dairies. They brought with them not only their techniques but also their philosophy of what cheese should taste like: robust, aged, powerful. Those influences shaped Finnish palates for generations.
Is there an underrated Finnish cheese or region that deserves international recognition?
Nelli: Marmori, again, is a perfect example. It’s not about trophies or international awards; it’s about creating something authentic and new. Marmori captures that perfectly — a cheese that bridges heritage and innovation. Its maker, Peter Dörig, brought the precision of Alpine cheesemaking and paired it with the purity of Finnish milk. His latest creation, Marmori, is inspired by Morbier and Appenzeller — a cuvée that feels both familiar and entirely original. Recently, Peter took it to New York to present for instance at Murray’s Cheese, and they loved it. That kind of recognition means something important: it shows that Finland is ready to step into the global conversation about cheese, not by imitation, but through creativity. Peter isn’t copying Swiss cheese — he’s translating tradition through Finnish terroir. That’s the spark we want to nurture, the beginning of a true cheese revolution here. I hope more small producers follow that example — to be brave, to experiment, to connect people through food again. Because good food, at its heart, is about community.
Rolling Cheese Töölö
Museokatu 22, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
website: www.rollingcheese.fi
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rollingcheesehelsinki