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During the process of making cheese, so many variables must galvanize with just the right alchemy, synchrony and balance to create something perfect—which is also how the story of the Plymouth Cheese company came to be.
Since the start of his career, Jesse Werner—a native Vermonter and passionate cheesemaker—always held a vision to preserve the working landscape of his beloved Vermont, and took on the momentous task of reviving the original 1890 Coolidge-era granular curd recipe that the first European settlers brought to the new world. Just as this old-world formula was revitalized by Werner, the antique cheese factory and its equipment were also brought back to life, the result of which became an artisanal cheese company that today crafts cheeses all cut and waxed by hand, the way it was done over 125 years ago on the Plymouth homestead.
Enter Sarit Werner, Jesse’s wife, a former graphic designer for Ralph Lauren, who on one fateful day decided to pack her bags and leave the urban hustle of New York City for rural Vermont, to not only marry, but truly join forces with her man. It was Sarit’s fine art background and experience with bold visual language that, through a whimsical vision of branding, enhanced the Plymouth products to a new level of aesthetic appeal, helping make the cheeses a full-spectrum experience for all of the senses.
While the company’s roots are steeped in the green-pastured classics of Americana, in time Jesse and Sarit sought to explore variations on their cheeses, whose new flavors would take inspiration from the spices, elements and culinary personalities of other corners in the world. Using their signature heritage cheddar, Original Plymouth, as the basis, the husband-wife team went on to create a dynamic line of hand-waxed, cave-aged and blue cheeses that today comprise the Plymouth brand.
Our cheeses are crafted, cut and waxed by hand - the way they did it over 125 years ago on the Plymouth homestead.
Granular curd is the one of the oldest types of cheddar cheeses. The art of achieving the rich, open-bodied texture of granular curd cheese is through the skillful cutting and continuous stirring of the curds.
The secret to making great cheese is to use the best and highest quality raw milk. We use only the finest Vermont raw cow's milk free of any additives, ant-biotics or rBST. Our milk is sourced from a single dairy herd in close proximity to the cheese factory so we can use the freshest milk possible, and we can ensure consistent quality.
The quality of the raw milk that we make our cheeses from is also dependent on what the animals are fed and how they are treated. The milk that goes into Plymouth Cheese comes from livestock that is humanely treated and where only the best dairy practices are employed. We are confident that once you have tasted our cheeses you will appreciate and understand our constant attention to detail and our dedication to promoting and sustaining the natural environment here in Vermont.
The Plymouth Cheese Factory is the second oldest cheese factory in the United States - producing high quality and distinctive artisan cheeses for over 125 years. The factory still occupies the same site and building as it did when it was built in 1890 in Plymouth, Vermont by Col. John Coolidge, father of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States. John Coolidge, a dairy farmer, created Plymouth Cheese as a means of turning extra milk into a product with a longer shelf life, using the same exacting granular curd recipe that the first European settlers brought with them to the New World.
Jesse Werner, has revived that recipe, and the original way they used to dip the cheese in wax. Plymouth Cheese is the closest thing consumers can find to the cheeses America’s first farmers produced in the 1600's. Plymouth Artisan Cheese may be the only cheesemaker that still produces this distinctive and original American heritage cheese.
Since the start of his career, Jesse Werner—a native Vermonter and passionate cheesemaker—always held a vision to help preserve the working landscape of his beloved Vermont. In 2009, he took on the momentous task of reviving the Plymouth Cheese Factory and original 1890 Coolidge-era granular curd cheese recipe that the first European settlers brought to the new world. Just as this old-world formula was revitalized by Werner, the antique cheese factory and its equipment were also brought back to life, the result of which became an artisanal cheese company that today crafts cheeses all cut and waxed by hand, the way it was done over 125 years ago on the Plymouth homestead.
In 2008-2009 Jesse attended the Vermont Institute of Artisanal Cheese (VIAC), University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, where he studied artisan cheese making which included chemistry, microbiology, cultures and design of artisanal cheeses. Jesse apprenticed with Marc Andre St. Yves of Fromager Conseil ENC/INTERNATIONAL, and designs and develops his own cheeses.
The public is invited to visit the Plymouth Cheese Factory and watch Jesse and his assistants as they create Plymouth Cheese. There are viewing windows to observe the art of the cheesemaker and, more often than not, Jesse will come out and answer questions about Plymouth Cheese and the work required to produce this unique artisan product.
Garlic Peppercorn is inspired by the flair and finesse of the French kitchen, with its proud and vivacious character and the savory elements of onion, garlic, red peppers—and of course, green peppercorns. The poir vert tradition holds strong in France, where chefs bow to this verdant variety of the peppercorn, which shows up in sauces as well as in cheese. This raw cheddar is marbled, which makes it (much like the French) as pretty as it is complex. It is aged for sixty days, yielding an upbeat and creamy granular curd cheese that tastes like a whole plate of dinner in just one bite.
The Original Plymouth recipe is precisely that: it is the original Coolidge-era formula that was discovered on a frayed scrap of paper, taped to the walls of the old Plymouth factory, and revitalized by founder Jesse Werner in 2009. Aged for one whole year, this cheddar is the most antiquated of the English varieties, an old-world recipe with a sharp, rich flavor profile that lingers, like a passed down story. It’s a full-bodied cheese, rounded with the perfect balance of cream and tang, and said to be closest to what the settlers of the 1600s consumed. Original Plymouth is the signature granular curd cheddar recipe on which all the other varieties are based. And as the great spark ignitor of the whole Plymouth line, this raw heritage cheddar literally tastes like a walk back in time.
Oprah’s select Gift Tray from Plymouth Artisan Cheese includes a vintage inspired wooden gift tray with Oprah’s personal selection of 3 handmade, high quality raw milk cheddar cheeses. Black Truffle is a truffle cheddar infused with real truffle morsels from Italy. Hot Pepper is an allnatural version of an American pepperjack that turns up the heat and buzzes with flavor. Garlic Peppercorn is inspired by the finesse of the French kitchen, with its vivacious character and savory elements of onion, garlic, red peppers, and of course, green peppercorns.
Our Smoked cheddar is a gentleman’s cheese. It’s the cheese that doesn’t mince words and gives you a firm handshake. Cold-smoked over hickory wood in the classic Vermont tradition, this natural raw artisanal cheddar comes to life somewhere between creamy, savory and proud. With hints of salt and bacon, this sixty-day recipe is one of our best sellers, with enough grit as is, melted, or on a sandwich.
Black Truffle is the delicate mingling of the Original Plymouth recipe sailed metaphorically to the shores of Tuscany. In the Italian tradition, truffle cheeses are typically made with sheep’s milk—but this pioneer is a raw cow milk version, aged for sixty days, infused with real truffle morsels from Italy and light touches of white truffle oil. Italian black summer truffles, called scorzone, grow naturally and elusively below the soil’s surface in woodlands, and are known to have a more subtle flavor than the winter variety. The result here is a luscious slow-dance of flavors; a mellow and approachable cheese that is at once earthy, straightforward, sexy and smooth.
East Meadow is our sun-is-shining happy place cheese. With its buttery consistency, just enough kick and mildly sweet notes, this natural raw artisanal milk variety is a favorite among cheese-loving children—but equally mature enough for an elegant or casual grown-up picnic sprawl. Named for the East Meadow on Plymouth Notch where the factory still stands proud, our youngest sixty-day recipe is the smile-and-a-hug equivalent of a raw cheddar.
Hot Pepper is the high-desert lovechild of a Tex-Mex daydream and the signature Plymouth Original. A natural raw artisanal milk version of an American pepperjack, this hearty cheese, which is aged for sixty days, turns up the heat and buzzes with flavor. Some bites will have more kick than others, so one might say this is the cheese of surprise and serendipity, a dynamic journey along the spectrum of spice and zest. Habanero and Jalapeño peppers are added at the curd stage, forging a bright, bold and lively cheese that is great on its own, and sublime on a plate of nachos.
Hunter, our sharpest cheese, won’t waste your time. It’s the cheese that wants you to grasp the essence of what sharp cheddar means—with your soul. As the lactose content decreases during the two-year aging process, crystallization occurs, which makes its consistency more brittle to the bite. The result is a robust, mature, ivory-hued, no-nonsense sharp Vermont cheddar that would wear a plaid flannel shirt, chop your wood and build you a fire if it could.
Included cheeses are blocks of Original Plymouth, Smoked, Hunter, Hot Pepper, Garlic Peppercorn, and Sage & Herb.
Our Sage & Herb cheddar is a lover, not a fighter. With its savory kick, aromatic personality, and purple psychedelic label, this variety is the bohemian cousin of our Plymouth original. Enhanced with a mellow blend of herbs de provence—including sage, thyme, rosemary, lavender and oregano—this sixty-day recipe is a favorite during the holidays. Both feisty and familiar, this whimsical flavor finds its groove on a sandwich, paired with fruit, or perfect its own.
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2018 - American Cheese Society
Silver Medal for Ballyhoo Brie
2015 - Big E Cheese Competition - Eastern States Exposition
Gold Medal for Garlic Peppercorn
Silver Medal for Hot Pepper and Sage & Herbs
Bronze Medals for Big Blue, Red, White & Blue, Grace's Choice, Plymouth Tomme, East Meadow, Smoked and Original Plymouth
2015 - American Cheese Society
Second Place Ribbon for Hot Pepper in 'Cheeses with Flavor Added - All Milks and Mixed Milks' category
Third Place Ribbon for Sage&Herbs in 'Cheeses with Flavor Added - All Milks and Mixed Milks' category
2014 - Big E Cheese Competition - Eastern States Exposition
Gold Medal for Red, White & Blue
Gold Medal for Plymouth Big Blue
Gold Medal for Garlic Peppercorn
Gold Medal for Smoked
Silver Medal for East Meadow
Silver Medal for Grace's Choice
Bronze Medal for Hot Pepper
2014 - American Cheese Society
Second Place Ribbon for Red, White & Blue in the Blue Vein Natural Rind category
2013 - Big E Cheese Competition - Eastern States Exposition
Gold Medal for Grace’s Choice in the Washed Rind category
Bronze Medal for Plymouth Smoked in the Smoked Cheese category
Bronze Medal for Plymouth Hot Pepper in the Flavored category
2012 - American Cheese Society
Second Place Ribbon for Plymouth Original in the Original Recipe category
2012 - Big E Cheese Competition - Eastern States Exposition
Silver Medal for Plymouth Original in the Open category
Vermont
Above All Vermont, Manchester Center
As the Crow Flies, St. Albans
Basketville Factory Store
Belmont General Store
Brattleboro Food Co-op
Brewfest
Bridgewater Corners Store
Bromley Market
City Market
Clark’s IGA
Cloudland Farm
Commodities Natural Markets, Stowe
Commodities Natural Markets, Winooski
Dan & Whit's General Store, Norwich
Dutton’s Farm Stand
Downtown Grocery
Five Corners Pub, Ludlow
Gillingham's
Harlow Farm
Healthy Living
Hen of the Wood
Homestyle Hostel
Hudak Farm
Hunger Mountain Co-op
Jake’s Café
Jake’s Quechee Marketplace
Jay Village Store
Jax Food & Games, Killington
Jeff’s Main Seafood, St. Albans
JJ Hapgood
Lebanon Food Co-op
Lisai’s
Long Trail Brewery
Meditrina, Chester
Middlebury Food Co-op
Mojo Café
Mon Vert Café
New American Grill
Newport Natural Foods
Northeast Kingdom Tasting Center
Phat Italian Deli, Killington
Putney Food Co-op
Red Hen Bakery
Rocking Horse Country Store
Rutland Co-op
Singleton’s
Springfield Food Co-op
Stemwinder
Stone Hearth Inn
Taftsville Country Store
The Perfect Wife
Upper Pass Lodge
Upper Valley Food Co-op
Vermont Country Deli
Vermont Country Store
Village Inn of Woodstock
Warren Store
Wine & Cheese Depot
Winhall Market
Weston Marketplace
Weston Village Store
Woodstock Farmers Market
Worthy Kitchen
Worthy Burger
Connecticut
Bantam Market, Bantam
Caseus, New Haven
Cleveland Country Store
Darien Cheese Shop, Darien
Mike's Organic Delivery, Cos Cob
Northville Market, Northville
Red House Gifts, Madison
TFC Health Foods, Farmington
Maine
Blue Hill Food Co-op, Blue Hill
The Velveteen Habit, Cape Neddick
Massachusetts
Allandale Farm, Brookline
Bacco's Wine & Cheese, Boston
Bean & Cod, Falmouth
Bee's Knees Supply Company, Boston
Bloomy Rind, Hingham
Buckalew's General Store, Melrose
Eataly, Boston
Guido's Marketplace, Pittsfield, Lenox
LeRoux Gourmet
Mill City Cheesemongers, Lowell
Our Market, Oak Bluffs
Olive Connection, Boston
Reveler's Beverage Co., Needham
Roche Bros.
Savenor's, Boston
Star Market
Tendercrop Farm, Newbury
Town Wharf General Store, Mattapoisett
Wasik's Cheese Shop, Wellesley
Wild Oats Co-op, Williamstown
Windfall Market, Falmouth
Winebuyer's Outlet, Boston
Winston Flowers
New Hampshire
Anne’s Plainfield Store
Calef's Country Store, Barrington
Hannah Grimes Marketplace
Hanover Food Co-op
Keene Food Co-op
Lebanon Food Co-op
Monadnock Food Co-op
Purple Tomato, Lincoln
Tendercrop Farm, Dover
Walpole Country Store, Walpole
Zeb's Country Store, North Conway
New Jersey
Van Hook Cheese & Grocery, Jersey City
Dreyer Farm, Cranford
The Marketplace Cheese Shop, Manahawkin
New York
Brooklyn Kitchen
Buffalo Cheese Traders, Buffalo
DePanneur, Brooklyn
Dimes, NYC
Eataly Downtown
Eataly Flatiron
Forager's, NYC
Fishkill Farms, Hopewell Junction
Gotham Bar and Grill
Greene Grape, Brooklyn
Greenpoint Cheese & Meat, Brooklyn
Inwood Gourmet, NYC
Margaret Palca Bakes, Brooklyn
Marlow and Daughters, Brooklyn
Mouth Foods
Park Slope Food Co-op
Rivertown Lodge
Schaller & Weber, NYC
Williams-Sonoma
Willoughby General, Brooklyn
Wythe Hotel
Pennsylvania
Chantal's Cheese, Pittsburgh
East End Food Co-op, Pittsburgh
Feast on Brilliant
Kitchen Kettle – Aged & Cured
New Hope Winery, New Hope
Rhode Island
Provender, Tiverton
Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet, Newport
Wishing Stone Farm, Little Compton
Ohio
Butcher & the Brewer, Cleveland
Old Brooklyn Cheese Co., Cleveland
Sharecuterie, Rocky River
The Grocery, Cleveland
Michigan
Artigiano, LLC, Bay City
Boyne County Provisions, Boyne City
Butler Pantry, Saugatuck
Farmhouse Deli, Douglas
Folgarelli's, Traverse City
Harvest Health Foods, Grand Rapids
King's Market, Grand Rapids
Joe's Produce Gourmet Market, Livonia
Lafayette Market, Pontiac
Lake Street Market, Boyne City
Louise Earl Butcher, Grand Rapids
Market 22, Maple City
Papa Joe's, Rochester Hills
Petoskey Cheese, Petoskey
The Wine Garden, St. Clair Shores
Village Food Market, Grosse Pointe Farms
Vine & Brew, Okemos
Westborn Markets
Western Market, Ferndale
Illinois
Heinen's
Pastoral Artisan Cheese
Lousiana
Cuban Liquors, Shreveport
North Carolina
Orrman's Cheese, Charlotte
South Carolina
Geechie Boy Market & Mill, Edisto Island
Texas
No. 9 Floral, San Antonio
Virginia
Karin’s Florist
Bad Wolf Public House
South Dakota
Sunshine Foods
Arizona
Little Moo's, Cottonwood
New Mexico
Cheesemongers of Santa Fe
California
Artistic Table, Livermore
Canyon Goumet, Topanga Canyon
Cheeseboard Collective, Berkeley
Cheesemongers of Sherman Oaks, Sherman Oaks
Cheese Plus, San Francisco
Gjusta, Venice Beach
Farmshop, Brentwood
Joan's On Third, Studio City
Joan's On Third, West Hollywood
Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco
Urban Radish, Los Angeles
Valerie's Confections, Los Angeles
Venissimo Cheese, San Diego
*If you sell our cheese, and don't see your shop listed above, please let us know! Thank you!*
