List of cheesemakers facts for kids

The process of making Gruyère cheese in Switzerland.

Cheesemakers are amazing people or companies that turn milk into delicious cheese! They use special skills and knowledge to make sure each cheese is just right. They control everything, from the types and amounts of ingredients to how the cheese is made.

Milk can come from different animals like cows, goats, sheep, or even buffalo. But most cheese around the world is made from cow's milk. Cheesemakers also need to be good at checking the cheese's quality, fixing any problems, and making sure it ages perfectly.

People have been making cheese for at least 5,000 years! We even have proof that Egyptian cheese was made in ancient Egypt.

Famous Cheesemakers and Companies

A

Cheese being prepared at Beecher's Handmade Cheese.

• American Cheese Society – This is a group that helps and supports cheesemakers in the United States. They especially help those who make special, handmade cheeses.
• Amul – A large dairy company from India.
• Arla Foods – A big dairy company from Denmark. It's owned by over 12,000 farmers! They make popular brands like Castello and Lurpak.

B

Belle Chevre's Greek Kiss cheese, a goat cheese wrapped in grape leaves.

• Beecher's Handmade Cheese – This company makes special, handmade cheeses in Seattle, Washington, United States.
• Bega Cheese – An Australian cheese company.
• Bel Group – A big French company that sells cheese all over the world. You might know their famous brands like The Laughing Cow and Babybel.
• Belle Chevre – This company makes delicious goat cheese in Alabama, United States. They started way back in 1986.
• Bothwell Cheese – A Canadian cheesemaker that makes over 30 kinds of cheese, including Cheddar cheese and Mozzarella cheese.

C

The Cabot village creamery was built in 1893.

St. Pat cheese, made by Cowgirl Creamery.

• Cabot Creamery – An American company known for its dairy products. Their cloth-bound cheddar cheese was once called one of the "100 great cheeses" in the world!
• Capriole Goat Cheese – Another company that makes special goat cheese in Indiana, United States.
• Laura Chenel – She was the first person in America to make goat cheese for sale, helping it become popular.
• Chèvréchard – A French company that focuses on making different kinds of goat cheese.
• Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese – This Irish farm makes cheeses from both cow's milk and goat's milk.
• Edward Coon – An American cheesemaker from the 1900s.
• Cowgirl Creamery – This company makes special, handmade cheeses in California, United States.
• Cypress Grove Chevre – Located in California, they are famous for their goat cheeses, including one called Humboldt Fog.

D

Bellingham Blue, a blue cheese made by Glyde Farm Produce.

• Darigold – A company owned by farmers that makes cheese and other dairy products.
• Sheana Davis – She makes fresh cheeses like Delice de la Vallee.

G

• Glyde Farm Produce – This Irish company started in 1996 and makes cheeses like Bellingham Blue.
• Gossner Foods – One of the biggest cheese makers in the United States, located in Utah.
• Groupe Bel – A large French cheese company that owns famous brands like The Laughing Cow and Babybel.

H

• Joseph Harding – He is known as the "father of Cheddar cheese" because he created the modern way to make it.

J

• Jasper Hill Farm – This farm makes special, handmade cheeses in Vermont, United States.

K

• Kraft Foods – A very large American company that makes many food products, including cheese.

L

• Lactalis – The biggest dairy products company in the world, based in France.
• Andrew Linton – A New Zealand cheesemaker and farmer who helped manage the dairy industry.
• Ulrika Eleonora Lindström – A Swedish cheesemaker who invented the famous Västerbotten cheese.

M

• Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar – A farmer and cheesemaker who specialized in goat cheese in England.
• Maytag Dairy Farms – This farm makes Maytag Blue cheese from cow's milk.
• Noella Marcellino – A nun who has a special degree in microbiology. She studies how good bacteria help make cheese taste and smell amazing.
• Marin French Cheese Company – Founded in 1865, this is the oldest cheese company still making cheese in the United States.
• Catherine Mathieson – A New Zealand cheesemaker and butter maker from the 1800s.
• Murray's Cheese – A company that makes special, handmade cheeses in Manhattan, United States.

N

• Nature's Harmony Farm – A farm in Georgia, United States, that makes special, handmade cheeses.

O

• Old Chatham Creamery – This company has been making special, handmade cheeses in New York, United States, since 1993.

P

• Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company – This company in California, United States, makes special cheeses. Their Point Reyes Original Blue was the only blue cheese made in California when it first came out.
• Polly-O – Known for popular cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella, and string cheese.

R

• Rogue Creamery – This company in Oregon, United States, has won many awards for its special, handmade cheeses since 2003.

S

• Lino Saputo – The person who started and led the Canadian cheese company Saputo, Inc..
• Sargento – An American food company famous for its cheese. They were the first to sell shredded cheese in bags and to use zipper packaging for cheese!
• Will Studd – An Australian cheese expert who has worked with special, handmade cheeses for over thirty years.
• Sweet Grass Dairy – This company makes special, handmade cheeses in Georgia, United States.

T

• Tillamook County Creamery Association – A dairy company in Oregon, United States, best known for its cheddar cheese.
• Tingvollost – A family farm in Norway that makes a cheese called Kraftkar, which was named the World Champion at the World Cheese Awards in 2016!

U

• Uplands Cheese Company – Their Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese was chosen as one of the 10 best foods in the United States by a famous food writer.

V

• Valio – A Finnish company that makes many dairy products, including cheese, butter, and yogurt.
• Valley Shepherd Creamery – A farm in New Jersey, United States, that makes over 20 kinds of special, handmade cheeses.
• Ignazio Vella – An American businessman and cheesemaker whose family owned cheese companies in California and Oregon.
• Vermont Creamery – A company in Vermont, United States, known for its dairy products.
• Von Mühlenen – A cheese company from Switzerland.

W

• Markey Wallace – A notable New Zealand cheesemaker and farmer from the 1900s.
• Washington State University Creamery – This university creamery in Washington, United States, makes cheeses like Cougar Gold cheese, a sharp white Cheddar cheese sold in cans.
• Warrnambool Cheese and Butter – The oldest dairy company in Australia, started in 1888. They make cheese, butter, and cream.
• Whitestone Cheese – A New Zealand cheese company established in 1987.
• Winchester Cheese Company – A company that made special, handmade cheeses in California, United States.
• Wyke Farms – A cheese producer located in Somerset, United Kingdom.

See also

• List of cheeses
• List of dairy product companies in the United States
• List of food companies