Chèvre (Vermont Creamery)
- Producer
- Vermont Creamery
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Vermont
- Size
- 2-3 in. long, 1 in. wide
- Weight
- 4 oz
- Website
- www.vermontcreamery.com
- Milk
- Goat
- Classification
- Soft
- Rennet
- Microbial
- Rind
- Flavored
Fresh
Founded in 1984 by Allison Hooper and Bob Reese, Vermont Creamery is located near Websterville, Vermont. Having spent time with a small-scale cheesemaker in Brittany during the 1970s, Allison was working as a state dairy lab technician in Vermont when she responded to a request from Bob Reese to produce some fresh chèvre for a state dinner. At the time, Bob was employed as marketing director for the Vermont Department of Agriculture. The chèvre was a hit and after some experimentation, Bob and Allison decided to go into production on a more formal basis, founding Vermont Creamery.
Milk for cheese production comes from twenty-one family farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Quebec. Each farm has an average herd size of approximately 150 goats. Vermont Creamery makes a variety of fresh and young style cheeses and cultured dairy products, many of which are based on French recipes. They also make an outstanding cultured butter. Cheeses are made from either goat's or cow's milk.
For production of the fresh chèvre, milk is pasteurized and starter cultures and rennet are added. After coagulation, the cheese is allowed to drain naturally, which preserves as much moisture as possible and maintains the chèvre's delicate texture. The cheeses are available in both plain and flavored varieties, with the flavored versions being rolled in a particular herb or spice.
