Specialty Food Magazine

SUMMER 2014

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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V ermont will never lead the nation in quantity of cheese produced, but the state's cheeses triumph in qual- ity. The rural Green Mountain State has seen an impressive trajectory for cheese production in the 30 years since Allison Hooper and Bob Reese launched Vermont Butter & Cheese (now Vermont Creamery). "It was a desert," recalls Hooper of the state's arti- sanal cheese scene in 1984. Hooper and Reese sold their first cheese the following year, joining longtime producers Cabot Creamery and Grafton Village Cheese and new producer Shelburne Farms. Thirteen years later, at the instigation of Hooper and Reese, the Vermont Cheese Council debuted with 12 charter members. Today, the state counts roughly 65 cheesemakers, many of them considered among the nation's finest, such as Jasper Hill Farm, Vermont Shepherd, Spring Brook Farm, and Vermont Creamery. And although many Vermont cheesemakers make too little product to consider venturing beyond the state, others have bigger ambitions. Retailers, especially on the East Coast, report strong consumer interest in both the pioneering creamer- ies and the new ventures. An abundance of innovative, creative people, several key cheese organizations, and a huge consumer market nearby have helped this small state make an international name for its artisanal American cheeses. BY JANET FLETCHER Vermont's Cheesemaking Visionaries Andy and Mateo Kehler of Jasper Hill Farm Allison Hooper and Bob Reese of Vermont Creamery PHOTO: JASPER HILL FARM PHOTO: TIM CALABRO cheese focus 64 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com cheeseFocus_Sum14.indd 64 6/6/14 8:21 AM

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