GRAFTON, VT – Having started making and aging classic cheddar cheese over a century ago might make a creamery uncomfortable with change, but at Grafton Village Cheese, big changes are fermenting and their legion of devotees are sure to be excited.
“Basically, we’re undergoing a complete renaissance,” new CEO David Rachlin said. “We’re taking the incredible legacy of this creamery in the village of Grafton and turning all that knowledge and talent toward making even better aged cheddars that our fans already love, and a whole range of brand new Vermont originals.”
Long-standing traditions have always been the focus at Grafton Village Cheese, and now with award winning cheese artisan Dane Huebner on board, a renaissance is sweeping the village.
“I’m a sheep guy,” Huebner said. “So we’re doing some really cool stuff blending cows’ milk with sheep milk that I think the cheese community will be pretty pumped about.”
The new cheeses, along with some classic clothbound cheddars, are being aged in a new state of the art cheese cave built right in Grafton village, in the same building where Huebner works his magic in small vats designed for limited runs of the delicate new blends.
The company is also launching a new line of their traditionally aged cheddars and the award-winning maple smoked cheddar. Grafton Tavern Select is named for The Old Tavern at Grafton, an historic Vermont country inn. The Old Tavern opened in 1801 and is one of the nation’s oldest operating inns. Grafton’s most sought after cheeses are regularly featured on the restaurant’s menu and in the Chef’s recipes. “We want people to know how rigorous we are about making, and selecting for aging, only our very best cheese,” Rachlin said. “Calling our two-year, three-year, four-year and maple smoked cheddar Tavern Select helps people understand the partnership between The Old Tavern and Grafton Village Cheese.”
Grafton Village Cheese, nestled in the most quintessential of Vermont towns, is revitalizing and strengthening its commitment to raw-milk artisan cheesemaking. Specialty cheeses are being developed and then aged with an eye toward greatness in the new 870 square foot cheese cave that features four separate temperature and humidity controlled rooms designed to nurture production of natural rind, mixed cow, sheep and goat cheeses. Two of the rooms are designed for mold aging, with the remaining two designed for bacteria aged varietals to further embrace the old way of crafting elegant, sought after cheeses.
“We have been making cheese in the village of Grafton for a very long time so we know what we’re doing when it comes to cheddar,” Rachlin said. “We are so fortunate to have Dane Huebner join us with all of his expertise and artistry. With Dane and our new cheese cave, we now have the opportunity to join the ranks of the world’s most notable craft cheese makers.”
Grafton Village Cheese is operated by The Windham Foundation whose mission is to support the economic and social vitality of Vermont's rural communities.
About Grafton Village Cheese
Grafton Village Cheese, located in Grafton, Vermont, handcrafts artisanal cheddar cheese. The company was founded in 1892 as the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company, which converted surplus milk from local dairy farmers into cheese. Years later, a fire destroyed the original factory. When the Windham Foundation restored the company in the mid 1960s, a new era for the town was born. Today, quality and taste continue to serve as the hallmark of Grafton cheddar. As part of the nonprofit Windham Foundation, much of Grafton Cheese’s annual earned income funds the Foundation’s charitable programs. More information on Grafton Village Cheese Company can be found online at graftonvillagecheese.com.
About the Windham Foundation
Headquartered in Grafton, Vermont, the Windham Foundation is an operating foundation engaged in philanthropic, charitable and educational activities. Since its inception in 1963, its mission is to promote the vitality of Grafton and Vermont’s rural communities through its philanthropic and educational programs and its subsidiaries whose operations contribute to these endeavors. The Foundation is the owner of Grafton Village Cheese Co., The Old Tavern at Grafton and the Retreat Farm.
Source: Grafton Village Cheese
