Vermont Magazine Summer 2020 Summer 2020 | Seite 29

The
Future
of
Cheese
Story by Benjamin Lerner
Photography courtesy Cabot Creamery
As Cabot Creamery celebrates its 100-year anniversary,
the beloved dairy cooperative is looking ahead at the
changing tastes of the American public.
Since its origins in 1919, Cabot Creamery has given Vermont
farmers the opportunity to be part of a dairy community. One
hundred years later, the cooperative remains in pursuit of
excellence, and the farmers, scientists, cheese graders, and the
corporate staff of Cabot Creamery stand poised to greet the
challenges of the next 100 years with ambitious vigor.
By streamlining their production using modern methods,
Cabot has managed to increase its output while actually
raising their high-quality standards. When sustainable,
co-op farming intersects with innovative cheesemaking
techniques and ethical business practices, for Cabot, the result
is a wide range of dairy products that consumers of all tastes
can enjoy with a clean conscience.
As Cabot’s reach has expanded, the quality of their cheese has
continued to improve, earning critical acclaim from the world’s
most discerning cheese critics. Cabot’s limited-availability
Centennial 5 Year Cheddar won first place at the American
Cheese Society Competition and Best New Product at the
Specialty Foods SOFI Awards. What makes the 5 Year Cheddar
stand out from other cheeses is its unique aging process that
allows the cheese’s flavor to mature while preserving its soft
mouthfeel. Cabot Creamery CEO Ed Townley says, “Usually, as
cheese gets older, the flavor intensifies. It also often comes with
the cheese drying out more, so it’s a more concentrated cheese.
This cheese not only had that very big, full, and delicious flavor
but it also was very creamy in texture. That made it very
different and very special.”
12 VERMONT MAGAZINE