Vermont, A Cheese
Powerhouse
By Chris Costanzo

The poet who thought he was in paradise when he relaxed with his beloved beneath the bough, with a book of verse, a jug of wine, and a loaf of bread, sure missed the mark when he forgot to mention cheese. Without cheese, the poet’s imagery falls flat, or at any rate it seems that way to turophiles (cheese lovers).

Indeed, humanity seems to have an inherent love of cheese, so that cheese has always been an important commercial product in most cultures. The American Cheese Society’s forthcoming annual conference and competition in Burlington this Aug. 1-5 underscores Vermont’s growing and undeniable importance as one of America’s premier cheese-producing states. 

The little state of Vermont cannot, of course, match the big guns in sheer volume of cheese production (California wins top honors in this country on that score). Still, the variety of cheeses produced by our state is astonishing. Even a casual scrutiny of Vermont cheese production reveals cheeses made from cow milk (such as cheddar, gouda, gruyere, camembert, blue-veined cheese, provolone, and cottage cheeses), from goat milk (such as feta, caprella, capriole, and chevre) and from ewe’s milk (shepherds’ cheeses), as well as cheese produced from water buffalo (mozzarella).

Such variety is important. Cheese is the one food that can be eaten at any point during a meal—as an appetizer, as a garnish on soup or salad, as an ingredient in the entrée, or as a dessert—not to mention its great snack potential. For that reason, thousands of varieties of cheese have been developed around the world, among which one can find cheeses which are appropriate in any situation, and which can accompany any kind of fare. 

And Vermont is certainly no slouch in the quality of its cheese. At last summer’s American Cheese Society’s competition in Portland, Ore., Vermont cheeses must have elicited beatific expressions and mumbles of ecstasy from the judges, because our cheeses went on to win top honors.  

In fact, a Vermont cheese—a particularly scrumptious cheddar—won the overall, ultimate, ineluctable, final, extreme, most prestigious grand prize as the "Best in Show" out of 941 entries, to the discomfiture of so-called "cheese-heads" from Wisconsin and other competing states.  

Furthermore, Vermont cheese-makers earned 28 awards at the competition, including eight first place ribbons, 12 second place ribbons, and seven third place ribbons. It was the state’s best showing ever, and it places Vermont securely in the top tier among American cheese-producing states. Vermont cheese-makers hope to do even better this year in Burlington.

In addition to the direct commercial importance of the Vermont cheeses, they have a clear potential for boosting the state’s tourist industry. The Vermont Cheese Council, whose three-dozen voting members are among the top cheese-makers in Vermont, has put together a map of the "Vermont Cheese Trail" to help visitors find cheese-making establishments in the state.

Regardless of why one comes to Vermont, or what route one takes, the map clearly shows the location of nearby cheese-makers. In fact, the populous "Cheese Trail" suggests that a tour of Vermont’s cheese-making establishments could even be the primary purpose of a visit to Vermont. After all, there are many turophiles out there, and if Massachusetts has a freedom trail, and Connecticut has a wine trail, it would seem logical that Vermont should have a "Cheese Trail." (Check it out at www.vtcheese.com.)     

Neighborly Farms

One of the members of the Vermont Cheese Council is Neighborly Farms. It is on the Cheese Trail, and is located nearby in Randolph Center. The establishment is owned by Robert and Linda Dimmick, who have been producing cheese there for almost seven years. We paid a visit recently to talk about the Vermont cheese industry.

We arrived when cheese-makers David Goldsworthy and Melissa Komorowski were expertly cutting a gigantic mass of fresh cheddar into long thick slabs. The slabs were to be later flavored with garlic to make one of the Farms’ signature cheeses.

Co-owner Linda Dimmick explained that such cheeses are "artisanal," that is, made by hand. They are also "farmstead" cheeses in that they are made solely from products of their farm. Thus, Neighborly Farms produces all the milk for its cheeses from its own herd of 63 cows.

 Originally, the Dimmicks had a typical family dairy farm dedicated solely to milk production. In the 1990s they made two decisions. The first was to go organic, and the second was to produce cheese instead of milk. They had no previous experience in cheese-making, but got a lot of help from established cheese-makers in our state, where competition is gentle and some cheeses are produced in cooperative efforts among different establishments.

"The Vermont Cheese Council is a particularly good resource, and we have gotten a lot of help from them," Dimmick said. 

In Vermont, large cheese manufacturers and small artisanal and farmstead cheese-makers live happily side by side. But Dimmick noted that in the past in the bigger dairy states, like Wisconsin, large cheese factories have rendered smaller operations unprofitable. It may have contributed to Vermont’s excellent competitive showing in artisanal and farmstead cheeses that now cater to a growing market for quality products made with great care with fresh and flavorful ingredients. But, according to Dimmick, "Artisanal and farmstead cheeses are now making a comeback in the larger states, so Vermont is going to face more competition soon."     

Meanwhile, the Dimmicks must be doing something right. Even though they are relative latecomers in cheese-making, Neighborly Farms took home two third-place national prizes at last year’s competition in Portland. One was for their organic green onion cheddar, and the other for their organic Monterey jack.

Dimmick noted that they were hampered by the need to ship their 40-pound cheeses a great distance to Portland, a complicated and expensive undertaking. This year, however, they and other Vermont cheese-makers can haul their own wares to Burlington, so there will probably be more entries from Vermont, and maybe even more awards.

Noting the increasing participation in the annual American Cheese Society event over the years, Dimmick fears that Vermont may not have facilities large enough to host such conferences and competitions in the future. Still, Vermont’s impressive record of superlative cheeses, plus a willingness of its cheese-makers to work hard to create different and even better varieties, could maintain Vermont's state’s reputation as a cheese powerhouse for generations to come.