Vermont Artisan Cheese

"The word artisan or artisanal implies that a cheese is produced primarily by hand, in small batches, with particular attention paid to the tradition of the cheese maker's art, and thus using as little mechanization as possible in the production of the cheese."

-American Cheese Society

Vermont has the largest number of artisan cheese makers per capita in the United States. Artisan cheeses are not mass produced in factories. Made from sheep, goat or cow's milk artisan cheeses are made in small quantities, primarily by hand, from fresh, locally available ingredients. Farmstead cheese refers to artisan cheeses that are made with milk obtained on site from the cheese maker's own flock or herd of sheep, goats or cows.

Artisan and farmstead cheeses are available at local farmer's markets, specialty stores, farm stands and orchards. Many artisan cheeses can also be purchased directly from the producer either by visiting their farm in person or by visiting their website.

Crowley Cheese Co.
14 Crowley Road
Healdville VT 05758
Email: sales@crowleycheese-vermont.com
Website: www.crowleycheese-vermont.com

Operating since 1882 Crowley Cheese is the oldest continuously operated cheese producer in the United States. They produce Colby cheese made from cow's milk. This company is open to the public from 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday.

Frog City Cheese
106 Messer Hill Road
Plymouth Notch VT 05056
Email: frogcity@vermontel.net
Website: www.frogcitycheese.com

You can visit this business daily from 9:30 AM to 5 PM from Memorial Day through the end of October. Frog City Cheese produces a granular curd cheese from cow's milk which is similar to but not the same as cheddar cheese. They create over 7 flavors of this cheese including garlic, rosemary and red pepper.

Jasper Hill Farm
PO Box 72
Greensboro, VT
Website: www.jasperhillfarm.com

Jasper Hill Farm produces an authentic farmstead cheese using milk from their own herd of aryshire cows. This family owned business currently makes three varieties of cheese; a blue cheese, a cheddar-like cheese and their Constant Bliss which is a mold-ripened soft cheese.

Twig Farm
2575 South Bingham Street
West Cornwall, VT 05778
Email: twigfarm@shoreham.net
Website: www.twigfarm.com

This company makes farmstead cheese using milk from their own herd of goats. They also make an artisan cheese with a blend of goat milk and cow milk which is obtained from nearby farms. Their cheeses can be purchased at select locations including Farmstead in Providence, RI and Bedford Cheese Shop in Brooklyn, NY. Their cheese is also available for sale on Saturdays during the summer at the Middlebury Vermont Farmer's Market.

The Woodstock Water Buffalo, LLC
PO Box 295
South Woodstock, VT 05071
Email: info@woodstockwaterbuffalo.com
Website: www.woodstockwaterbuffalo.com

This is one of the only companies in the United States, and the only one in Vermont, making artisan cheese from water buffalo milk. They make mozzarella cheese and 11 flavors of fresh yogurt from water buffalo milk. This farm is open to visitors from 10 AM to 2 PM Monday through Friday. Directions to their farm can be found on their website. This farm and its concepts was developed as a model of sustainable agriculture.

Resources

The Vermont Cheese Book written by Ellen Ecker Ogden. Published by Countryman Press, 192 pages. Ellen is the Coordinator for the Vermont Cheese Council and the co-founder of the Cooks Garden seed catalog. While researching material for this book the author visited over 30 Vermont farms currently focusing on producing artisan cheeses.

Email: ellen@ellenogden.com
Website: www.vermontcheesebook.com

Vermont Cheese Council
2083 East Main Street
Richmond, VT 05477
Email: info@vtcheese.com
Website: www.vtcheese.com

The Vermont Cheese Council is comprised of over 35 businesses who produce over 150 varieties of artisan cheese. Approximately half of these businesses are open to the public.

Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese
255 Carrigan Wing Building
University of Vermont
Burlington VT 05405
Email: jfarnham@uvm.edu
Website: http://nutrition.uvm.edu/viac

This organization encourages its members to practice sustainable agriculture methods. The mission of VIAC is to "Advance cheese making through access to science and technology in order to promote and sustain Vermont`s rural working landscape, as well as rural landscapes nationally and internationally."