What is an artisanal cheesemaker? By definition, it’s a cheesemaker who uses little or no mechanization in the process of making cheese, patiently crafting small batches by hand with the help of just traditional tools and techniques. This art form transcends simply making cheese — it’s a labor of love that produces a beautiful and delectable end product. Check out these dedicated artisanal cheesemakers, whose creations are a must-taste for every true cheese lover.

Cypress Grove – California

Credited as trailblazers in the artisanal cheesemaking business, Cypress Grove uses goats as their main dairy source. Founder and self-proclaimed “serious hippie” Mary Keehn started by using the free-roaming goats of her neighbor back in the ’70s to provide fresh milk for her kids, and tried her hand at a bit of cheesemaking along the way and the rest as they say, is history. Their Humboldt Fog is their flagship cheese and is amazing.

Old Chatham Sheepherding Creamery – New York

These New-York-based cheesemakers are known for their award-winning sheep’s milk cheese and yogurt. Their story began in 1993, when Tom and Nancy Clark purchased 600 acres of lush grassland in Old Chatham. Since then, their Chatham’s Camembert, Ewe’s Blue, Kinderhook Creek, and sheep’s milk yogurts have gone on to win numerous awards and have been championed on restaurant menus and in specialty food stores across the country.

Vermont Creamery

Born out of a chef’s last-minute requirement for some local goat cheese to prepare a meal, Vermont Creamery has gone on to win more than 100 national and international awards. While goat milk cheese remains their main focus, the proud creamery artisans also produce fresh dairy products made from cow’s milk, like crème fraȋche, mascarpone, and quark.

Cowgirl Creamery – California

Back in the ’70s, friends Sue Conley and Peggy Smith embarked on an adventure to San Francisco, which gave them experience in the restaurant business in the city. After many years, they started Cowgirl Creamery in the early ’90s. Fans of the TV show “Will and Grace” may recall an episode when Will proffered some of Cowgirl’s best to Jack when Will and Jack each thought that the other was in love with them. Look out in stores for Cowgirl’s amazing Red Hawk and melt-in-your-mouth Mt Tam.

Grafton Village Cheese – Vermont

Started in the same village that bears its name, the Grafton Village cheesemakers borrow from a rich dairy tradition in the Vermont area that dates back to the 19th century. Grafton is famous for its range of aged cheddars, which can be from 1 to 4 years, or even older. Their Bear Hill and Queen of Quality Clothbound Cheddar have been standout products in 2017, winning them accolades at many competitions.

Jasper Hill Farm – Vermont

Started by two brothers, Mateo and Andy Kehler, in a small Vermont town near the Canadian border, Jasper Hill is famous for its numerous varieties of cheeses that mature in cellars below the farm. Their unique Bayley Hazen Blue and amazing Winnimere are classics that are in demand by leading chefs and connoisseurs across the country.

Beehive Cheese – Utah

Beehive’s artisanal cheeses have been developed using some of the keenest intelligence in the United States. When brothers-in-law Pat Ford and Tim Welsh founded their creamery in 2005, they sought the assistance of experts at Western Dairy Center, who taught them that great cheese comes from great milk. Partnering with Wadeland South Dairy, a family-owned farm whose Jersey cows feed off of alfalfa, Pat and Tim are now regarded as some of the finest cheesemakers in the country. Beehive’s most famous cheese is by far its Promontory, a creamy, elegant cheddar cheese named after the summit where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific rail lines were linked over 150 years ago.

Central Coast Creamery – California

The success of California’s Central Coast Creamery rests on the shoulders of founder Reggie Jones. Reggie has been making artisanal cheeses since 1991, and his experience has catapulted Central Coast Creamery into a top tier family business. With the help of his wife and three daughters, Reggie fashions numerous award-winning cheeses at Central Coast Creamery, including the famous Seascape, a cow and goat milk blend with a salty and sweet taste. Shooting Star Creamery also donates a percentage of their profits to causes supporting wounded veterans.

Sequatchie Cove Creamery – Tennessee

Sequatchie Cove Creamery has made a name for itself for perfecting Dancing Fern, a Savoie-inspired Farmstead French Reblochon cheese. Since 2003, the owners of Sequatchie Cove Creamery, husband-and-wife duo Nathan and Padgett Arnold, have endeavored to make Dancing Fern synonymous with the pinnacle of Southern cheeses. Aged for a mere 60 days, Dancing Fern is made from the milk of grass-fed cows who live in the verdant fields surrounding the creamery. Featuring a silky texture with hints of bacon and mushroom, Dancing Fern cheese is one of the most sought after artisanal cheeses in the world.

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – Washington

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle is famous for its inspired cheddar flavors. Nestled in the Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market, Beecher is known widely for its Flagship Cheese aged for 15 months and made with higher fat cow’s milk. The higher fat content present in the Flagship Cheese creates a moister, sweeter type of cheese that many connoisseurs say tastes almost like Gruyère. First timers at Beecher’s should also try their new Flagsheep Cheese, a variant made with sheep’s milk. A winner of the Best of Show prize at the 2022 American Cheese Society’s competition, Flagsheep Cheese has been praised for its creamy overtones and dense texture.

Vermont Shepherd Cheese

Cindy and David Majors are the heirs to Vermont Shepherd Creamery, one of the oldest sheep farms in the United States and a cheese empire that goes back decades. Featuring a flock of hundreds of sheep, Vermont Shepherd ages its famous product in a cave on the 250-acre property. The farm offers two major types of cheese, each made with raw milk. Verano cheese is made in the summer and is a sweet, earthy-tasting cheese. The stronger Invierno cheese ripens by early winter and is made both with sheep’s milk and organic cow milk. Containing a spicy twist, a variant of Invierno cheese is prepared by smoking it in apple tree wood.

Do you have a favorite artisanal cheesemaker? Tell us about them in the comments.