Michaela Grob's guest appearances

Michaela Grob

YogiTriathlete Podcast

Happy Healthy Sexy Strong Vegan

Sound of Business 

Mark Allen

Neal Barnard

Chris Hauth

Adam Hill

Permaculture Homesteading

Julieanna Hever

John Joseph

Julie Piatt

Dan Casey

Luke Tyburski

Jamie Oliver

Michael Klaper

Michelle May

George Briones

Mel Urie

OwlTail

In this episode, Verena talks to Michaela Grob about leaving a job at a large tourism corporation to starting a vegan cheese shop and the challenges involved.Michaela speaks about the main differences of working for somebody else compared to working for oneself, running a standalone store versus operating a booth inside a large food market.They also speak about the growth of the plant based food sector in general and how her shop, Riverdel, has adjusted operations during Covid.The following topics will be discussed:making a complete career change to fulfill one´s dreamthe use free resources available to get goingthe challenges involved in running a business, in particular in 2020the rise of the plant based food sectorAbout Michaela:Michaela´s  background is in the hospitality and travel industry, which has allowed her to explore many countries, cultures and different foods. Originally from Austria, Michaela grew up on a meat heavy diet. She also always loved animals, and eventually realized that she can not support a diet consistent of animals and call herself an animal lover. She made the switch to a vegan diet about 6 years ago and has never looked back. After giving up her corporate sales career in 2014 she decided to open a vegan cheese shop in Brooklyn, called Riverdel (named so after two of her pets “River” and “Fidel” = “River-del” ). Host:Verena recently joined the team at Advantage Austria after having worked in the hospitality industry for the past five years. She has worked in a three Michelin star restaurant as well as in more casual establishments. At Advantage Austria, she helps Austrian food, drink and creative companies wishing to export their products to the US market.

In this episode, Verena talks to Michaela Grob about leaving a job at a large tourism corporation to starting a vegan cheese shop and the challenges involved.Michaela speaks about the main differences of working for somebody else compared to working for oneself, running a standalone store versus operating a booth inside a large food market.They also speak about the growth of the plant based food sector in general and how her shop, Riverdel, has adjusted operations during Covid.The following topics will be discussed:<ul><li>making a complete career change to fulfill one´s dream</li><li>the use free resources available to get going</li><li>the challenges involved in running a business, in particular in 2020</li><li>the rise of the plant based food sector</li></ul>About Michaela: Michaela´s  background is in the hospitality and travel industry, which has allowed her to explore many countries, cultures and different foods. Originally from Austria, Michaela grew up on a meat heavy diet. She also always loved animals, and eventually realized that she can not support a diet consistent of animals and call herself an animal lover. She made the switch to a vegan diet about 6 years ago and has never looked back. After giving up her corporate sales career in 2014 she decided to open a vegan cheese shop in Brooklyn, called Riverdel (named so after two of her pets “River” and “Fidel” = “River-del” ). Host: Verena recently joined the team at Advantage Austria after having worked in the hospitality industry for the past five years. She has worked in a three Michelin star restaurant as well as in more casual establishments. At Advantage Austria, she helps Austrian food, drink and creative companies wishing to export their products to the US market.

#10 From working for a large corporation to starting a niche business with Michaela Grob

A simple yet well-appointed neighborhood cheese shop in the heart of Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. Sounds just about right. But make that cheese vegan and it becomes a movement. Riverdel Cheese is the creation of Michaela Grob, a corporate world convert who loves animals, listened to her heart and looked for another way.Overseeing 350 employees, 20 offices and traveling 80% of the year left Michaela feeling empty, a job she once loved was no longer bringing her happiness. Her entrepreneurial minded boss had unknowingly sparked a fire within her and even though she wanted to make a change she resisted jumping ship. Instead, she took a methodical path to finding her professional joy. She knew herself too well to throw caution to the wind, she needed a well laid out plan. Michaela took her time, planning for about a year about what she would do and how she would skillfully make her transition.She got her ducks in a row and created her business plan. Her idea to become a shopkeeper was inspired by Miyoko Schinner’s vegan cheese cookbook and the realization the no one in New York City was offering a wide variety of vegan cheeses and fine foods. She knew that starting a business was a risk and all the planning in the world couldn’t take that away but she kept listening to a voice deep inside to keep moving her vision forward.

A simple yet well-appointed neighborhood cheese shop in the heart of Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. Sounds just about right. But make that cheese vegan and it becomes a movement. Riverdel Cheese is the creation of Michaela Grob, a corporate world convert who loves animals, listened to her heart and looked for another way. Overseeing 350 employees, 20 offices and traveling 80% of the year left Michaela feeling empty, a job she once loved was no longer bringing her happiness. Her entrepreneurial minded boss had unknowingly sparked a fire within her and even though she wanted to make a change she resisted jumping ship. Instead, she took a methodical path to finding her professional joy. She knew herself too well to throw caution to the wind, she needed a well laid out plan. Michaela took her time, planning for about a year about what she would do and how she would skillfully make her transition. She got her ducks in a row and created her business plan. Her idea to become a shopkeeper was inspired by Miyoko Schinner’s vegan cheese cookbook and the realization the no one in New York City was offering a wide variety of vegan cheeses and fine foods. She knew that starting a business was a risk and all the planning in the world couldn’t take that away but she kept listening to a voice deep inside to keep moving her vision forward.

Michaela Grob owner of Riverdel on Bringing Cruelty-Free Cheese to Brooklyn