WNC Cheese Trail Newsletter

Here's your chance to subscribe to the WNC Cheese Trail newsletter! Great opportunity for those of you in and near Western NC to visit the area's greatest cheesemakers or just keep up with what's happening via their newsletter.  Sign up here.

Buffalo Creek Farm and Creamery is not located in the Western Region, but we love keeping up with our friends! Maybe the Piedmont and Eastern part of the state will start their own cheese trail in the future.

Connecting the dots on the Trail...

We've come a long way... Our region's cheesemakers have once again proven to be among the bravest of souls. For almost a year, a group of committed artisans have held their breath and jumped into a nebulous but consuming task: creating the WNC (Western North Carolina) Cheese Trail. Now the payoff begins. After a lot of work, the WNCCT has actualized as a network for artisan cheesemakers, a venue for agritourism and a resource for our rich community of farmers and epicureans. We have a website, a fantastic new logo, and we've created the first version of the Official WNCCT Map...not to mention all the legalities that we've crossed off the list! And now our sights are set on developing an interactive digital map alongside a physical printed map for distribution. Many acclaimed cheesemaking operations in the area were quick to become Cheesemaking Members, and there has been a steady stream of Associate Members joining in support of local artisan foods and gastro-tourism. We hope that plenty more area cheesemakers and food destinations will continue to join the Trail and benefit from this network of passionate food producers. The Trail's Cheesemaking Members have lent a lot of labor and resources to getting this concept off the ground, and many are shifting their operations in order to accommodate the tourism the Trail will generate. Here's the Official List of WNC Cheesemaking Members: Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery...................Fairview Daddy's Girl Dairy.................................Hamptonville Heritage Homestead...................................Crumpler Oak Moon Farm.......................................Bakersville Ripshin Goat Dairy..........................................Lenoir Looking Glass Creamery.............................Fairview Round Mountain Creamery...............Black Mountain Yellow Branch Farm...............................Robbinsville Associate Members are out-of-area cheesemakers, or non-cheesemaking members who sell products from member farms or otherwise support the cheese and dairy industry. Membership is only $100 annually for representation on our soon to be widely distributed map. Ques? Email info@wnccheesetrail.org for more info. WNCCT Associate Members include: Carolina Bed and Breakfast.................Asheville, NC Lexington Avenue Brewery..................Asheville, NC FRESH Wood-Fired Pizza.........Black Mountain, NC Laurey's Catering.................................Asheville, NC Mountain Sunshine Farms...................Asheville, NC Roots & Branches Crackers............Swannanoa, NC Orrman's Cheese Shop.......................Charlotte, NC Affinity Members are destination businesses working in complementary industries, and are represented on the WNC Cheese Trail Map as recommended stops between member farms. Our Affinity Member is: Hickory Nut Gap Farm..........................Fairview, NC Both Corporate Sponsor and Cheese Enthusiast memberships are also available for those who would like to support the Trail. You can learn more about these farms and other members at www.wnccheesetrail.org. And please be sure to encourage membership to your favorite operations! Member Farm Profile: Yellow Branch Farm Robbinsville, NC Bruce DeGroot and Karen Mickler Yellow Branch has been producing farmstead cheese from Jersey cow milk since 1986. Both their farm and pottery are open for scheduled visits year-round. Here's what they have to say: "Yellow Branch is very excited about the WNC Cheese Trail. As we begin our 27th year tending the cows and making cheese, growing food for ourselves and our family, we celebrate and are grateful for the growth of the number of cheese makers and facilities in WNC and across the state and nation. In 1986 we were on the cusp of the development of the artisan cheese industry in the United States. Our continued success is in large part due to the flourishing business of folks making delicious cheese which is in great demand. When we started knocking on doors looking for stores to purchase our cheese, we were met with astonishment and a little bit of skepticism since "good" cheeses were considered to be found only in Europe. So here we are today, surrounded by folks making excellent cheese in Western North Carolina and above all, grateful for all who support our endeavors by purchasing and enjoying our products. Thank you!" www.yellowbranch.com Again, thank you for sharing an interest in the WNC Cheese Trail. This couldn't exist without the community's hard work and precious input. We hope that the Trail will enable Cheesemaking, Associate and all other Members alike to gain business and connections, and that this network can enrich our craft and spread some of that Western North Carolina talent. Gratefully yours, The WNC Cheese Trail

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