Grafton, Vermont – With more than a century of handcrafting Vermont cheddar, Grafton Village Cheese has long-since refined the aging process of its cheeses. Over the years, the company has experimented with aging its raw milk cheeses from one to six years, sometimes even longer. When the company launched its Four Year aged cheddar, it grew in such popularity that since its introduction, it has been a product in very limited supply. Until now.
“A few years ago, we were literally rationing the Four Year Cheddar to our customers, which wasn’t an easy task when they were selling out and demanding more every month,” explained Bob Allen, Grafton Village Cheese Company President. “As a result, we restructured our production to create a robust inventory of Four Year and it has finally come to fruition.
Four Year Aged Cheddar has a pronounced, mature flavor, smooth finish, and a drier, crumbly texture that makes aged cheese lovers sing. It is a World Cheese Award winner. The product is available in Grafton Village and Tavern Select lines, and will be showcased at the Fancy Food Show this summer.
The tradition in handcrafted cheese in Grafton Village dates back to 1892, when local dairy farmers delivered their raw milk to the village creamery to have it turned into cheese. Today, Grafton’s cheddars are aged ranging from one through four years. Grafton Cheese sources its premium raw milk from 22 Vermont family farms. A year ago, Grafton Village Cheese introduced its new Cave Aged line. The addition of these small batch cheeses, combined with the availability of its long-aged cheddars, rounds out Grafton's portfolio of Vermont handcrafted specialty cheeses.
The Grafton Cheese brand includes three lines:
Grafton Village: The cornerstone of Grafton Cheese, featuring traditional waxed and vacuum-sealed blocks, bars and wheels in One through Four Year cheddar, Maple Smoked cheddar and the seasonal Sage and Garlic cheddar.
Grafton Tavern Select: Featuring classic 7 and 10 oz wedges, Tavern Select celebrates its premium aged cheddar products, including Three Year, Four Year and Maple Smoked.
Cave Aged Line: This line of fine cheeses takes Grafton beyond its roots in Vermont Cheddar cheese. The new cheeses are carefully matured in Grafton's cave aging facility in the heart of Grafton Village. These small-batch cheeses include cow's milk, sheep's milk and mixed milk varieties. The current line, which is ever changing, includes Bismark (sheep), Truffled Bismark (sheep), Vermont Leyden (cow), Barndance (sheep and cow), Naked Cheddar (cow), Clothbound Cheddar (cow), Red Vask (sheep), Shepsog (sheep & cow) and Bear Hill (sheep). Since its launch, the line has enjoyed five World Cheese Awards, including a Gold for the Cave Aged Clothbound Cheddar, and a sofi Silver Finalist for the Vermont Leyden Cheese.
Grafton Village Cheese is scheduled to exhibit at the Summer Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC from June 17 – 19 (Booth # 6151). Company representatives will be on hand to meet with buyers, distributors, cheese lovers and registered press.
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 specialty 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 Cheese. Grafton Village cheddars are sold under the Grafton Village and the Tavern Select brands, and the Cave Aged line features small-batch specialty cheeses. 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 Grafton Inn and the Retreat Farm.
Source: Grafton Village Cheese
