Happy Goats Make Great Cheese

As a pioneer in the industry, an early proponent of the artisanal process, and an advocate of sustainable, responsible farming and organic production, Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese is what one might call America's founding mother of artisanal cheesemaking.

On a whim, and with no farming experience, Allison started writing letters to organic farmers in the late '70s seeking a hands-on education in working the land. Eventually, her journey took her to the countryside of France, where her love for the European tradition of small-batch artisanal cheesemaking gathered momentum. In 1984 she launched Vermont Butter & Cheese with Bob Reese, a former marketing director of the Vermont Department of Agriculture. Soon after, people who had never experienced the taste of fresh chèvre were immediately awed by her handiwork.

"Quality originates at the source," says Allison, and the source of her goat's milk cheeses is a herd of intelligent, gentle dairy goats that are never tethered but are free to forage for hay, brush, and pasture plants around the farm. Additional milk is supplied by local farms, where the average herdsize is 150 goats and whose farming method aligns with Vermont Butter & Cheese's philosophy: A healthy herd, low stress, and good hygiene are an invaluable part of producing high-quality milk.

Along with both fresh and aged varieties of goat's milk cheeses, Allison and Bob use cow's milk to make crème fraÌche, fromage blanc, mascarpone, and quark. All are fashioned in the same spirit of artisanal production in which hands and nature take the place of machines. For their crème fraîche, fresh cream is set aside after milking to let the lactic bacteria take over, enriching and thickening it to delicious results. Their cultured butter is one of the finest in the country, with true cream flavor and only the lightest touch of salt. It would easily hold its own against the best of European butters.

Allison Hooper's and Bob Reese's dedication to forming their cheese and butter from the grass up,
as well as their commitment to hands-on farming practices, makes them true artisans.
www.butterandcheese.net