04/30/2026
The alcohol & restaurant industries are tough - and we've seen many friends in these industries go out of business, but nothing might be harder than the cheese business. As we prepare to move our shop and turn the page on a decade of supporting local cheesemakers at our current location, I'm going through 10 years of photos and remembering all of the local cheesemakers who had to call it quits.
This collection of closed producers are responsible for some of the best cheeses we've ever tasted, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few! Bleating Heart made the best domestic sheep cheese anywhere. Dacheva and WM Cofield made the best cheddars in the world! All these producers made exceptional cheese. But it's a tough agricultural industry with low margins, rigid perishability, limited access to raw ingredient, a huge time/ care requirement, and intense competition from global conglomerates. Sometimes artistic brilliance isn't enough.
If you have a favorite local cheesemaker near you- remember to support them, and support them often! When their cheeses suddenly vanish, it's always sad.
