Recently given a gold award in the 2014 World Cheese Awards, Orland Farmstead Creamery boasts a world-class fromage blanc that is made organically and crafted with the utmost care. Creamery co-owners and co-operators Paul Schmidt (who runs the dairy) and Valerie Miller (who makes the cheese) sell their artisanal cheeses at local markets—including the Chico Certified Farmers' Market—and grocers including S&S Produce, Chico Natural Foods and Raley's. Every day, Schmidt milks the dairy's 30 cows, collecting about 75-80 gallons of whole milk. After a process that includes pasteurization, cutting curds and separating the whey, Miller sculpts and flavors their ricottage, feta, mozzarella, queso fresco and fromage blanc cheeses. Find Orland Farmstead Creamery on Facebook or at orlandfarmstead.com
How did your cheese make it to the World Cheese Awards?
Valerie: The Milk Advisory Board, which Paul is a member of, takes fees and makes assessments of Paul's milk. In exchange for those fees, they pay for advertising and promotions in California. So one of the things they do to promote California milk is they will reimburse us for entry fees in different competitions. That is what they did for us in the World Cheese Awards.
What is fromage blanc, and what makes yours special?
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