Her Story

Growing up on a dairy farm in Ontario, Jessica knew early on that she had a love for cheese. Watching her parents expand their modest dairy farm of 80 cattle to over 1000 also taught her the value of business and the hard work and dedication that goes along with it.

After completing a Bachelor of Technology with a Minor in Entrepreneurship from Ryerson University in Toronto, Jessica started honing her business management skills at various printing firms before setting off around the world in search of adventure, eventually settling in Australia, where she worked at a winery in the famed Margaret River region, and her love for cheese matured into a love for cheese and wine. She started dreaming of one day opening her own cheese shop and wine bar.

Jessica relocated to Victoria, BC and continued chasing her dream through working in a cheese shop and managing a wine shop, while also taking educational courses in cheesemaking, Business of Cheese programs with The Cheese School of San Francisco, Business of Wine courses, and has her WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Advanced Level certification. She is a member of the American Cheese Society and plans on becoming a Certified Cheese Professional in the near future.

The Farmer’s Daughter is the culmination of a girl’s love for cheese and the hard work and dedication of fulfilling a dream.

His Story

Tom has been around the world and now calls Victoria, BC home. His love for travel and a carefree lifestyle led him to renounce his degree in Mechanical Engineering to become a writer in Paris, bartending by night in order to support himself. Many long nights and short stories later, he was able to realize his dream and completed a novel, but also realized he had a passion for food and wine, and more importantly, sharing this passion with others.

Tom’s new career path took him through numerous bars and restaurants in different countries and cities, spanning over fifteen years, rewarding him with a combination of food and wine knowledge, hospitality management expertise, an understanding of consumer trends, and world-class customer service.

Whether picking grapes in Beaujolais, France, obtaining his WSET Advanced Level certification, writing content for wine blogs, or just keeping the cellar fully stocked, Tom loves everything wine, and is responsible for the wine program at The Farmer’s Daughter. He is a certified French Wine Scholar and Italian Wine Scholar.

In Jessica, he has found his partner in wine, and looks forward to finally claiming wine as a business expense.