This is a list of notable cheesemakers. Cheesemakers are people or companies that make cheese, who have developed the knowledge and skills required to convert milk into cheese. Cheesemaking involves controlling precisely the types and amounts of ingredients used and the parameters of the cheesemaking process, to make specific types and qualities of cheese. The milk may be from a cow, goat, sheep or buffalo, although worldwide cow's milk is most commonly used. Cheesemakers also need to be skilled in grading cheese to assess quality, assessing defects and suitability for release, and cheese ripening. The craft of making cheese dates back at least 5,000 years. Archaeological evidence exists of Egyptian cheese being made in the ancient Egyptian civilizations.
Cheesemakers
A
- American Cheese Society – nonprofit organization that promotes the United States cheese industry and represents artisan cheesemakers[1]
- Amul is an Indian dairy cooperative, based at Anand in the state of Gujarat, India.
- Arla Foods is a Danish dairy cooperative, based in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the 6th largest dairy producer globally and the largest in terms of organic milk volume. Formed in 2000, by a merger with Danish MD Foods and Swedish Arla, the company now is owned by more than 12.000 farmers in more than six countries. Most famous brands are Castello, Puck, Lurpak, Kaergaarden.
B
- Beecher's Handmade Cheese – artisan cheesemaker and retail shop based in the Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington, United States.
- Bega Cheese
- Bel Group
- Belle Chevre – artisan goat cheese maker in rural Alabama. It was established in 1986 and is located in Limestone County, Alabama near Elkmont.
- Bothwell Cheese – independently owned Canadian cheesemaker, it produces over 30 varieties of cheddar, mozzarella, smoked, traditional, and specialty cheeses.
- Brazos Valley Cheese – artisan cheesemaker and retail shop near Waco, Texas
C
- Cabot Creamery – American dairy agricultural marketing cooperative, wholly owned by the Agri-Mark Cooperative. Wine Spectator magazine listed Cabot cloth-bound cheddar as one of "100 great cheeses" of the world in 2008.[3]
- Capriole Goat Cheese – artisan goat cheese producer in Greenville, Indiana, United States.
- Laura Chenel – cheesemaker who was America's first commercial producer of goat cheese, and helped to popularize goat cheese in America.
- Chèvréchard – French cheese manufacturer specializing in goat cheeses, located in the goat-cheese producing region of Poitou-Charentes. It produces Clochette[4] and Aperichevre[5] cheeses.
- Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese – produces a number of cheeses from both cow's milk and goat's milk from their premises near Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland.[6]
- Edward Coon, 20th century US cheesemaker and entrepreneur
- Cowgirl Creamery – producer of artisanal cheeses located in Point Reyes Station, California, it produces several varieties of cheese.
- Cypress Grove Chevre – located in Arcata, California, they specialize in goat cheeses, including the award-winning Humboldt Fog.
D
- Darigold—farmer-owned co-op that produces cheese and other high quality dairy products that are available in the United States and several countries around the world.
- DCI Cheese Company
- Sheana Davis – maker of Delice de la Vallee and other fresh cheeses and owner of the Epicurean Connection.
F
Fen Farm Dairy - Fen Farm Dairy makes delicious Baron Bigod Brie, butter, and skyr in the UK using raw milk and sustainable, greener farming practices.
G
H
- Joseph Harding – responsible for the introduction of modern cheese making techniques and has been described as the "father of Cheddar cheese".[8] He is credited with having invented the "definite formula" for the production of cheddar cheese.[9]
I
J
K
L
M
N
P
R
- Rogue Creamery – artisanal cheese operation located in Oregon, since 2003, winner of 30 international and over 50 national cheese-making awards.[18]
S
- Lino Saputo – founder and chairman of the Canadian-based cheese manufacturer Saputo, Inc.
- Sargento – American food producer best known for its cheese, it was the first company to sell packaged shredded cheese, and the first to develop zippered packaging for its cheeses.[19][20]
- Will Studd – Australian cheese specialist, Studd has been working with artisan and farmhouse cheeses for more than three decades
- Sweet Grass Dairy – artisan cheese producer located in Thomasville, Georgia.
T
U
V
- Valio – Finnish manufacturer of dairy products including cheese, powdered ingredients, butter, yogurt and milk.
- Valley Shepherd Creamery – artisan cheese making farm in Long Valley, New Jersey, the creamery produces 20 varieties of cheese, including Dutch farmstead, Alpine cheese, a Basque shepherd cheese similar to Idiazábal cheese, farmer cheese, ricotta, and a blue cheese.
- Ignazio Vella – American businessman and cheese maker, his father owned Vella Cheese Company, Inc. in California and the Rogue Creamery in Oregon, which he turned over to his children.[24][25] He took control of both companies and served as their general manager and chief executive officer. He sold Rogue Creamery in 2002.
- Vermont Creamery (formerly Vermont Butter and Cheese Company) – Websterville, Vermont.
- Von Mühlenen of Switzerland
W
- Markey Wallace – (1893–1984) notable New Zealand cheesemaker, farmer, community leader and local politician. He was born in Waiho, West Coast, New Zealand in 1893.[26]
- Washington State University Creamery – in Pullman, Washington produces cheeses including Cougar Gold, a sharp white Cheddar cheese that is packaged in tin cans.[27]
- Warrnambool Cheese and Butter – Australian producer of cheese, butter, cream and dairy ingredients, it is based in Victoria and is the oldest dairy processor in Australia, having been established in 1888.[28][29]
- Winchester Cheese Company – was an artisan cheese producer in the town of Winchester, California, in Riverside County, Southern California.[30] and Gouda cheeses of various ages.[31]
- Wyke Farms – a cheese producer located in Somerset, United Kingdom.
Z