Why Vermont Became America's Cheese Capital
Vermont didn't invent American farmstead cheese, but over the last forty years it built the deepest bench of any state. A handful of things came together in the 1980s: an old dairy tradition on the ropes (Vermont had lost most of its small farms to industrialization), cheap farmland, cheap real estate, a state government willing to fund small dairy through the Vermont Cheese Council, and a wave of young cheesemakers — Allison Hooper of Vermont Creamery, Cynthia and David Major of Vermont Shepherd, later Andy and Mateo Kehler of Jasper Hill — who trained in Europe and came back with real technique. What grew out of that was a farmstead and small-batch cheese scene deeper and stranger than anything else in America. The Jasper Hill Cellars project alone — an underground aging facility that ripens cheese for producers all over New England — has reshaped how American cheesemakers think about what "aged" and "affiné" really mean.
What's on the Vermont Cheese page reflects that range. Cheddars from Cabot (industrial-scale but still serious, especially the Clothbound), Plymouth (raw-milk, 1890 factory, granular curd method), Grafton (village co-op, 1892). Chèvres from Vermont Creamery in the French style. Alpine and washed-rind cheeses from Von Trapp Farmstead (Oma, Mount Alice) and Jasper Hill (Alpha Tolman, Harbison, Winnimere). Blues from Jasper Hill (Bayley Hazen). Fresh sheep-milk cheeses from Vermont Shepherd (Invierno). Small-batch cheeses from Parish Hill Creamery and Woodlawn Creamery representing the newest wave of Vermont dairy. Some are cut and wrapped to order by igourmet from full wheels; others come whole from the producer.
Shop by Style
Vermont covers most of the working American cheese repertoire, and the Vermont Cheese page organizes by style. The Vermont cheddar selection runs from mild everyday Cabot up through 2-year aged Clothbound and Plymouth's specialty variants (Black Truffle, Sambal, Hunter). Vermont Creamery's chèvre and fresh goat cheese range — Classic Chèvre, Bijou, Bonne Bouche, Coupole — is the American benchmark for French-tradition goat cheese. Washed-rind and stinky Vermont cheeses like Jasper Hill Winnimere and Von Trapp Mount Alice belong in the stinky and washed-rind collection. Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen anchors the state's contribution to the American blue cheese tradition.
For anyone shopping specific producers, individual collections are available: Jasper Hill Farm, Plymouth Artisan Cheese, and Vermont Creamery each have dedicated pages that dig into the producer story and full range.
Cooking, Serving, and Storing Vermont Cheese
Vermont makes such a range that "how to serve it" depends entirely on the cheese. Cabot Clothbound and 2-year aged Grafton eat like proper English farmhouse cheddars — thick slices on a board with chutney and a pint of amber ale, or grated coarse over baked potatoes. Vermont Creamery's chèvres crumble into salads (roasted beet with chèvre and walnut is a classic), spread on toast with honey, or fold into scrambled eggs. Von Trapp's Oma washes well with a warm crust of bread and a Vermont-brewed lager. Jasper Hill Harbison — a soft bark-wrapped cheese — you serve whole at room temperature, cut off the top, and scoop with a spoon. Bayley Hazen Blue crumbles over pear, walnuts, and Port. Vermont Shepherd Invierno grates over pasta like a Pyrenees sheep cheese.
Store cut Vermont cheese wrapped in cheese paper or a breathable cheese storage bag, which lets the cheese exchange air without drying out. Cheddars keep three to four weeks refrigerated; chèvres and fresh cheeses, one to two weeks; washed-rind cheeses, two weeks or so if they haven't already opened up. The rinds of aged Vermont cheddars and washed-rind wheels are food-safe but not always eaten — some people cut them off, some don't, and cheddar rinds in particular save well for soup broth.
Also Worth Exploring
Once you've spent time with Vermont, it's worth crossing state lines. For side-by-side comparison across the American landscape, the American cheese collection covers the full 100+ domestic selection, including Wisconsin, California, Oregon, and Washington producers. For anyone building a Vermont-themed board or gift, the American gift boxes collection assembles Vermont-forward gifts around cheddar, syrup, and Vermont-made accompaniments. And to build a proper Vermont-style cheese board around the state's cheeses, the honey and mustard cheese pairings collection covers the Vermont maple, honey, and grainy mustards that Vermont cheddars naturally want on the plate.
Vermont Cheese: Frequently Asked Questions
Vermont has the deepest bench of American farmstead and artisan cheesemakers of any state, built up over the last forty years through a mix of surviving village dairies, young Europe-trained cheesemakers, and a state-level dairy infrastructure that supports small operations. The best Vermont cheeses come from producers like Jasper Hill Farm (aged washed-rind and blue cheeses out of the Northeast Kingdom), Cabot Creamery (industrial-scale cheddar with the Clothbound as their artisan project), Plymouth Artisan Cheese (the oldest continuously operating cheese factory in America, running since 1890), Vermont Creamery (chèvre in the French tradition), Vermont Shepherd (sheep's-milk aged cheeses), Von Trapp Farmstead (alpine and washed-rind), and Grafton Village Cheese (traditional Vermont cheddar since 1892). The style spans everything from cave-aged blues to fresh chèvre.
Igourmet carries a rotating Vermont selection of 30+ cheeses from the state's leading producers. Jasper Hill Farm shows up through the Cellars program (Bayley Hazen Blue, Harbison, Moses Sleeper, Whitney, Alpha Tolman, Vault No. 5 Cheddar, Winnimere), Plymouth Artisan Cheese runs the full raw-milk cheddar line (Original, Smoked, Farmer Fred's, Black Truffle, Sambal, and specialty variants), and Vermont Creamery contributes the chèvre range (Classic Chèvre, Fresh Herb, Blueberry Lemon Thyme, Bijou, Bonne Bouche, Coupole, Cremont). Cabot Clothbound covers the aged-cheddar side, Von Trapp Farmstead adds alpine-style Oma and Mount Alice, and smaller producers like Woodlawn Creamery, Parish Hill Creamery, and Vermont Shepherd round out the collection. Every wheel is cut and wrapped by hand at igourmet from wheels shipped direct from the Vermont producers.