Chester County Cheesemakers Form Artisan Alliance
As of last year, Chester County has become a booming breeding ground for artisan cheesemakers that notably produce creamy pleasure
s unlike any other nation-and-worldwide location.
Noticing the local group of eight farmers who have stepped forward and successfully began to sell homemade, flavorful cheese varieties, the Agricultural Program Manager at the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC), Sue Milshaw, set forth to help develop a collaborative effort amongst the nearby producers, as early as 2009.
Working to compile the native farmers who excel with their uses of milk in many forms, including cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s, Milshaw assisted the farmstand cheese crafters in establishing an alliance, officially born in January 2010, as the Chester County Cheese Artisans.
In hopes to encourage people to “buy local,” the cheesemakers held their first official meeting in early spring, which included Amazing Acres Goat Dairy, Birchrun Hills, Conebella Farm Cheese, Doe Run Dairy, Highland Farm, September Cheese, Shellbark Hollow Farm and Yellow Springs Farm.
Together, the partnering farmers look to perfect their craft, and through their first joint meeting, they rallied Marc Druart from the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese to discuss further training on techniques of aging cheeses.
Additionally, the alliance announced they launched an official site, with will help locals familiarize with the Chester County cheesemakers on one landing page, while dividing each by their creamy main ingredient.
In March, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) even offered a course specifically based around Chester County cheeses and the history wrapped around its origins. Inviting Birchrun Hills Farm, Highland Farm and Yellow Springs Farm to offer attendees an edible education, PASA packed a classroom of eager students striving to further their understandings of what is found in their backyards.
With the cheesemakers united over their similar occupation, many have began to realize the benefits of selling at local farmers’ markets, and are even found at the same ones or those close by, like Birchrun Hills and Shellbark Farms at Phoenixville Farmers’ Market, Conebella Farm Cheese at The Farmers’ Market of Elverson and September Farm Cheese at Shady Maple’s Farmers’ Market.
Local restaurants too embrace serving dishes plopped with locally produced gems, like Amani’s of Downingtown spouting plates with Amazing Acres’ goa
t cheese blends, while nearby wineries always stock milky chunks, like Kog Hill’s supply of Conebella’s varieties.
To learn more about your local cheesemakers or to sample the creamy pleasures, visit their official website at www.chestercountycheese.org or stop by one of their many outlets.
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