Mark Hulme
Before I ever sold a piece of cheese, I learned what good food looked like. Cyprus markets, shepherds’ bread, and a deep respect for the people who stood behind what they made.
WCA Captain Judge · Patron, Academy of Cheese
From Cyprus to Cambridge
I grew up in Cyprus in the 1970s, where food came from people, not shelves. Everything was bought fresh, often daily, from markets and small independent producers. My younger sister Julia and I were raised on grilled meat and fish, sun-ripened fruit, vegetables, olives and cheese.
I remember the freshness, but more than that, I remember the character. Food felt connected to the land and to the people who made it. Sometimes, if we were lucky, we would eat in a small family-run restaurant, where a plate of gyros or sheftalia meant generous food, cooked simply and properly. It was honest and full of life.
We spent hours in the countryside among olive trees, wild herbs and grazing flocks, watching shepherds move slowly across the hills. Sometimes they would share bread and cheese with us. That’s where cheese first became something more than just food. It was tied to craft, to landscape, and to the people behind it.
Looking back, those years shaped how I see things. I was drawn to people who stood behind what they made, and to food with real character and a clear sense of where it came from.
When I started building the business that would become Rennet & Rind, those values came with me. Over time, they led me to British artisan cheese.
For me, British cheese represents everything I first recognised back then. Small farms, proper cheesemaking, and people putting everything into what they produce. Not chasing volume, just making something they believe in.
That’s what we champion.
I’ve spent my life working with British artisan cheese because I believe the best of it stands comfortably alongside anything in the world.
That belief started early. Everything that followed grew from there.
Mark’s Journey
At the age of 19, Mark began building the business that would become Rennet & Rind, supplying the Colleges of Cambridge University and other fine establishments.
Jan, Mark’s wife, became finance director.
The business moved into a converted 1,000 sq ft store in Witchford, as demand continued to grow and Mark began supplying some of London’s finest establishments.
The business moved to larger premises on Cowley Road, Cambridge.
A period of consolidation and conviction — bigger premises, bigger risk, and a sharper sense of what the business should stand for.
Mark expanded into an 8,000 sq ft purpose-built facility on the outskirts of Cambridge, backed by personal guarantees and, with Jan’s support, the family home.
Mark refocused the business around the very best of British artisan cheese, championing small independent farmhouse cheesemakers and sharpening the company’s approach to selection, grading and quality.
Mark created The Duke and The Duchess, two original cheeses that would go on to win at the World Cheese Awards.
The Duke was awarded Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards, placing it among the standout cheeses in the world. The Duchess won Bronze at the same awards.
Patron of the Academy of Cheese. The business expanded again with the purchase of the neighbouring premises, adding 6,000 sq ft and creating the maturing rooms and training space that marked the beginning of Rennet & Rind’s affinage journey.
Mark became a certified MonS Affineur, studying alongside Hervé Mons, Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
Judge at the World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy.
Judge at the World Cheese Awards in Oviedo, Spain.
Captain Judge at the World Cheese Awards, Wales.
Mark was inducted into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, the Brotherhood of the Patron Saint of Cheese.
Judge at the Melton Mowbray Artisan Cheese Awards.
Taste What Mark Champions
Over 80 British artisan cheeses, hand-selected and matured in our own rooms in Cambridge.
Continue the story — meet Perry →