Grafton Village Cheese Co. expands to Brattleboro
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By Susan Smallheer Rutland Herald - Published: July 19, 2008
BRATTLEBORO — Gov. James Douglas wants Vermonters, and everyone else for that matter, to say "cheese" and mean it.
The governor was the guest of honor this week at the official opening of the new Grafton Village Cheese Co.'s plant in Brattleboro, which will double the company's production of its award-winning cheddar cheeses.
He was joined by John Bramley, the new president of the Windham Foundation, and gripping a double-handled cheese knife they sliced into the rind of a big round of pale yellow cheddar cheese.
Stephan Morse, the former longtime president of the Windham Foundation, pronounced the cheese just fine — well almost.
"Six more months," Morse said after a taste, referring to the aging of the cheeses.
The new facility has the potential to produce 3 million pounds of cheddar cheese a year, which is double what the cheese company currently produces at its Grafton facility.
The new state-of-the art cheese plant was built on top of the foundation of the former dairy barns of the Retreat Farm, which was purchased by the Windham Foundation in 2001.
Douglas and other officials said that could be a metaphor for the future of dairy farming and specialty cheeses in Vermont.
The farm, long a landmark in Brattleboro, sold its herd of mostly Holstein cows about a year ago and rented its prime farmland to area farmers.
Douglas noted that a dozen years ago there were only six cheesemakers in the state, but now the state boasts at least 40 specialty cheesemakers.
Grafton Village Cheese is still far smaller than the state's giant Cabot Cooperative Creamery, which is owned by Agri-Mark, a dairy cooperative.
Grafton Village Cheese is owned by the Windham Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Grafton and devoted to historic preservation, agriculture and other Vermont-oriented issues.
Grafton gets its milk from two area dairy cooperatives, said Melissa Gullotti, spokeswoman for the foundation.
Roger Allbee, Vermont's secretary of agriculture, said a global demand for milk has prevented the traditional summertime glut of milk.
Sam Lambert, the chairman of the board of trustees of the foundation, said the cheese company was founded about 100 years ago but stopped production for a long time after a fire. The cheese company was restarted by the foundation in the 1960s, leading up to Thursday's celebration.
Lambert noted the Brattleboro cheddar would have to be aged for a year or two before it was sold.
Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com.
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