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Walter Schep is a young entrepre-
neur who has made the decision to
chart his life course in the Thunder
Bay area. Why? “Lifestyle and op-
portunities” in the words of Walter.
The oldest child of Margaret and
Jacob Schep, of Thunder Oak
Cheese fame, Walter (34) purchased
the prize-winning Gouda cheese
making operation from his parents
early this year while his brother
Martin (30) assumed the responsibil-
ity of running the related dairy farm.
Taking over Thunder Oak Cheese
wasn’t a decision that was expected
or demanded. Growing up, Walter
attended Thunder Bay Christian
School, FWCI and studied agricul-
ture in New Liskard, receiving a
Diploma in Dairy Technology in
1992. He worked the family dairy
farm until 2001 when, at the request
of a trade acquaintance, moved to
Manitoba to manage a large poultry
operation. Walter and his wife
Joanne discovered during their time
away how much they missed the
topography of Northwestern Ontario,
family and the ‘nature’ so readily
found in the Slate River Valley.
Manitoba was very flat - too flat for
them and they realized they really
weren’t that fond of chickens either.
Back in Thunder Bay, Walter began
a new working partnership with
Margaret at Thunder Oak Cheese.
While he contributed new blood and
ideas to the operation, he appreciated
that the interaction with all sorts of
interesting customers was invigorat-
ing and the lifestyle much easier on
his family life, particularly in rela-
tion to finding time to be with his
young children, Jasmine (6) and
Silas (4). He generally starts the day
very early, is home for lunch and
most days will be done between five
and six. Thus he can share family
responsibilities and evening time
with his wife and family. Comple-
menting this quality of life is the fact
that there are a number of other
young farmers in the area, including
his brother, that have bought similar
dairy or farming operations and this
agricultural sector networking is
productive, rewarding & stimulating.
Walter sees lots of opportunity in the
Valley and in his Gouda cheese op-
eration. He has a distributor looking
to secure contracts with one or two
large companies in large urban cen-
ters like Toronto, thus developing a
share of the growing trend to
‘artisan’ cheeses and fine wines.
Another expanding market is tour-
ism, capitalizing on the trend of
baby boomers to seek ‘authentic’
experiences involving age old tradi-
tions such as cheese making. Over
80% of current Thunder Oak Cheese
customers buy their cheese right at
the manufacturing outlet, verifying
the fact that customers like to buy at
the source. Thunder Oak’s cheese is
made with their own milk containing
no preservatives and over which
they have complete control from
start to finish. As Walter says:
“Without good milk, there is no
good cheese”.
Plans to expand his facility in physi-
cal size, manufacturing capacity,
product lines and tourism experi-
ences are continuing. In the not too
distant future, one may be able to
make their own round of cheese,
have a fondue party or learn to cook
with cheese from a master chef at
Thunder Oak. One thing’s for cer-
tain – you’ll still be able to taste test
their delicious products before you
buy and Walter will encourage you
to do just that. And say cheese…
Gouda of course!
For appreciating our lifestyle and
assuming new entrepreneurial risks,
Walter Schep is an Everyday Hero.
Everyday Heroes is a Community
initiative sponsored by Thunder Bay
Ventures. Everywhere in the city
there are people living, working,
playing and contributing to the
fabric of our community.
To nominate a hero email:
To see past heroes go to:
www.thunderbayventures.com
Walter Schep
Say Cheese!
by Lois Nuttall Thunder Bay Ventures