Vermont Creamery
Artisan goat cheeses made with French methods, local milk, and lots of love.
Artisan goat cheeses made with French methods, local milk, and lots of love.
When agriculture student Bob Reese needed locally sourced goat cheese for a 1984 Vermont Dept. of Agriculture-hosted dinner, he asked fellow student Allison Hooper, recently returned from interning at a farm in Brittany, France, to make it for him. The dinner was a success, the cheese was a hit, and Vermont Creamery was born that night.
To ensure their cheeses had true European finesse, they took on a young French intern, Adeline Druart, who designed the Creamery’s first aged cheesemaking facility. What began as a two-month internship turned into a cheesemaking career at Vermont Creamery and ultimately becoming the company president! Today, the Creamery’s collection of consciously crafted artisan goat cheeses and butter have won hundreds of national and international awards. “You’ll never eat anything we don’t believe in,” said Adeline.
“You’ll never eat anything we don’t believe in.”
—Adeline Druart, Vermont Creamery President
“Our goat cheeses surprise some people,” says Adeline. “If people are used to very earthy, dense, salty or barn-y goat cheeses, they’re going to love how fresh and mousse-like ours are—they are as clean and refreshing-tasting as a glass of fresh milk. That’s because we get fresh goat’s milk twice weekly from our network of family farms, and we carefully adjust the cheese-creating microbial “cocktail” according to season. We also allow 18-24 hours for the magic to happen (not the industry standard of 6 hours). That’s what gives our cheeses their fluffy texture and fresh, sweet taste.”
A few years ago, Adeline worked with our Wegmans Cheese Caves team to create a goat cheese special enough to be named for the year Wegmans was founded: “1916.” It’s so fresh-tasting and delicious, it won an American Cheese Society award!
The unripened cheeses are sent to our Cheese Caves where our team ages them to delicious perfection. By the time you see them in our Cheese Shop, they’re ready to enjoy. Entrusting their meticulously carefully crafted goat cheeses to our Cheese Caves is a natural for Vermont Creamery. “We know the cheese will be cared for as it should,” says Adeline.
Adeline Druart, President Vermont Creamery
“We hear it over and over again. People who claim not to like goat cheese get a taste of ours and fall in love. It’s not just the recipe and methods…it’s the way we do things. We settle only for perfection.”
Adeline Druart, President Vermont Creamery