New artisan cheesemakers ready to make mark on industry

Dec.1, 2006

By Amelia Buragas

Reprinted from Cheese Market News © 2006 - Quarne Publishing LLC.

MADISON, Wis. — Driven by consumer demand for new and interesting cheeses, farmstead and artisanal cheesemakers are opening up shop across the country. They can be found marketing their products at local farmer’s markets and frequently are inspired to join the cheesemaking industry by their own passion for fine cheese.

Many of them never have won an award or even entered a cheese contest. But they have a commitment to innovation and quality that is catching the industry’s eye.

“I am truly excited about the number of American artisans coming into this industry,” says David Gremmels, CEO, Rogue Creamery, Central Point, Ore. “The breadth and depth of cheese that’s being offered and the quality that’s being offered is exciting.”

Gremmels says two of his favorite new cheesemakers are Estrella Dairy, Montesano, Wash., and Pholia Farm, Rogue Valley, Ore. These two companies have set themselves apart, says Gremmels, because of the uniqueness of their products.

“The beauty of the rind and taste of both of these company’s cheeses is really exceptional,” Gremmels says. “In addition, the taste is very pure and unique and pleasing. They certainly have set themselves apart from other American cheeses I have seen.”

Michael Gingrich, Uplands Cheese Inc., says interest in artisan cheese is at an all-time high and it is helping to drive industry growth.

“The market is bigger and consumers are more accustomed to embracing new products,” he notes.

New cheesemakers bring with them a variety of experiences. Jody Farnham, program coordinator, Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, says the number of artisan cheesemakers in Vermont has double in the past five years. She says participants in the institute’s courses frequently are beginning a second career and their former fields include everything from art history to neurosurgery.

“These are people who are young and well off and interested in doing something new and different,” Farnham says. “I also think people have a romantic view of cheesemaking because it is an art as well as a science and combines the intellectual with the cultural.”

As these new cheesemakers enter the market, they are helping the artisanal industry to evolve. The U.S. artisan movement began with companies copying European-style cheeses. Now U.S. companies are putting their own twist on tradition to create American originals.

“So many people are getting into this and there are so many interesting things they are doing,” says Gingrich. “We’re really getting a long way from traditional American-type cheese.”

“We’re doing a lot of things that are really out there on the edge,” adds Sid Cook, president, Carr Valley Cheese, La Valle, Wis.

Cook notes that the process has come full circle as American original cheeses now are taking top honors at international competitions and being sought out by European companies.

• A leg up for newcomers

Despite strong consumer support for new artisan products, success is far from guaranteed for new cheesemakers. And while there will always be risked involved when starting a new company, established cheesemakers are doing their best to give the newest crop of artisan cheesemakers a leg up.

“I want to save them the time and pains we’ve certainly endured,” Gremmels says, noting that Rogue Creamery is the success it is today because of the support it received from Ig Vella, Vella Cheese Co., Sonoma, Calif.

“We stand on the shoulders of a giant in this industry,” Gremmels says.

As for the newcomers, Gremmels says he is willing to share his experiences in the hopes that it will create healthy companies, which in turn will keep the industry robust.

“The key is creating sustainable models so the industry can continue to grow at a healthy pace,” Gremmels says.

Tom Torkelson, Natural Valley Cheese, Hustler, Wis., grew up in the cheese and dairy industry and has worked at factories most of his life. However, he says owning a small, artisan-style cheese plant is a new challenge. He is not only the head cheesemaker — a full time job in its own right — but now is in charge of sales and marketing as well.

“I’ve had to hone my skills as a marketer and it’s a whole different ball game,” Torkelson says. “One of the key things that you’ve got to do is keep getting exposure and it’s very time consuming.”

However, Torkelson says the amount of support available to new companies is at an all time high. He notes that organizations such as the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Dairy Business Innovation Center and American Cheese Society are available to guide new businesses.

“There is so much information out there now,” Torkelson says. “All these people are gathering information and getting it right to the cheesemaker. Fifteen or 20 years ago you had to learn everything on your own. There weren’t places to go for information. Now everybody is willing to share information.”

Paula Lambert, Mozzarella Co., Dallas, says the key to success for new cheesemakers is to take advantage of these resources.

“The ones who are succeeding have done a lot of homework,” Lambert says. “They face the same challenges that every other small business would have and they have to be smart about what they are doing.”

Lambert holds up Deborah’s Farmstead Goat Cheese, Forth Worth, Texas, and Haute Goat Creamery, Lubbock, Texas, as examples of new companies that are doing it right. She says both companies have placed an emphasis on high quality, small scale production.

“It’s a whole lot of work,” says Nancy Patton, Haute Goat Creamery. “But it’s wonderful work and it’s better than anything I ever anticipated.”

Following is just a sample of the nation’s up-and-coming farmstead and artisan cheesemakers:

• Bleu Mont Dairy, Blue Mounds, Wis.

Bleu Mont Dairy has been producing Swiss-style cheese for more than 20 years, but is a newcomer to the artisan cheese arena. Owner and cheesemaker Willi Lehner produces bandaged Cheddar and washed rind cheeses that he then ages in a strawbale-construction cave. Blue Mont Dairy’s Lil Wils Bandaged Cheddar received a first place award at the 2006 American Cheese Society Cheese Competition.

• Deborah’s Farmstead Goat Cheese, Fort Worth, Texas

Deborah Rogers focuses on production of goat’s milk Chevré using traditional French farmstead methods.

Deborah’s Farmstead Goat Cheese Chevré is available in a variety of flavors including Plain, Herb (rosemary, lavender, chives and thyme), Chipotle and Peppercorn. Rogers also produces Birdsong, a bloomy-rind cheese that is similar to Camembert.

• Estrella Family Creamery, Montesano, Wash.

Husband and wife team Kelli and Anthony Estrella own this creamery situated on 154 acres along the Wynoochee River in Washington. Estrella Family Creamery offers 18 cheeses made with goat’s and cow’s milk. Kelli Estrella says she loves the process of making cheese, but it’s the feedback from consumers at Seattle’s farmer’s markets that keeps her going.

“If the people weren’t this happy, I don’t think I would want to work this hard,” she says.

• Firefly Farms, Bittinger, Md.

Although new to the business, Firefly Farms already has become a regular on the competition circuit. In 2006, Firefly Farms took home bronze and silver awards from the World Cheese Awards in London and the American Cheese Society Cheese Competition.

Firefly Farms produces a variety of goat’s milk cheeses including Allegheny Chevré, Merry Goat Round, Mountain Top Bleu, Buche Noire and Meadow Chevré. In 2005, Saveur Magazine named Firefly Farm’s Mountain Top Bleu as one of its 50 favorite American cheeses.

• Haute Goat Creamery, Lubbock, Texas

Inspired by a love for fine European cheeses, Nancy Patton founded Haute Goat Creamery after visiting Barbara Backus at Goat’s Leap Farm, Saint Helena, Calif.

Haute Goat Creamery cheeses include Bonnie Bleu, a raw milk Blue cheese aged for two to six months, and Tequila Abby, a farmhouse raw milk pressed cheese that is washed with tequila and chipotle. The company also makes a raw goat’s milk Feta.

• Hidden Springs Creamery, Westby, Wis.

Brenda Jensen, owner of Hidden Springs Creamery, produces handmade sheep’s milk cheese with milk from her Grade A flock of East Friesian and Lacaune dairy sheep. The company’s signature cheese is Driftless, a rich and creamy cheese available in a variety of flavors: Natural, Fresh Basil, Lavender & Honey, Pumpkin and Cranberry.

• Natural Valley Cheese, Hustler, Wis.

A 25-year veteran of the commodity cheese industry, Tom Torkelson now makes a wide variety of goat’s milk artisan cheeses at Natural Valley Cheese. Torkelson says Natural Valley also will begin producing artisan cow’s milk cheeses in the near future.

“I kind of got away from the hands-on side and decided that wasn’t for me,” Torkelson says about his switch to artisan production. He also notes that making artisan cheeses creates a niche he can compete and, hopefully, excel in.

“With commodity, you’re either huge or you aren’t there,” he says.

• Pholia Farm, Rogue River, Ore.

Gianaclis Caldwell makes raw milk cheeses from her herd of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats. Pholia Farm offers Elk Mt. Tomme, a European-style cheese washed in a pale ale. Also available from Pholia Farm is Hillis Peak, a medium-sharp, washed curd cheese. Hillis Peak is aged for four to six months and its natural rind is rubbed with oil and paprika during the aging process.

• Twig Farm, Cornwall, Vt.

Michael Lee draws upon his experience as a former cheese manager at the South End Fromaggio in Boston to produce goat’s milk cheeses on this 20-acre farm in Vermont.

Cheeses produced by Twig Farm include Twig Farm Goat Tomme, a raw milk goat’s milk cheese aged for 80 days, and Twig Farm Soft Wheel, a washed-rind cheese made with a mixture of goat’s and cow’s milk.

CMN