Food & Drink

Cheese

A person weighs a block of cheese.
Seen from above, a sliced pizza.

Say Cheese!

Vermont is home to more than 45 cheesemakers using milk from sheep, goats, and cows to craft more than 150 varieties of cheese. Whet your palate for rustic, bloomy soft cheeses, tangy, nutty clothbound cheddars, and earthy notes that call to mind Green Mountain forests and fields. From the World Cheese Awards to the World Championship Cheese Contest, cheesemakers mark Vermont on the globe.

A white building that reads “Plymouth Cheese” against a blue sky in the summer.
Three piles of cheese pieces lay on a cutting board.

Vermont Cheese Council’s “The Hunt”

The Hunt is a scavenger hunt and curated insiders’ guide rolled into one that allows visitors to explore Vermont’s outdoors, history, and of course, its cheese.

Vermont state law requires that “reasonable effort be made” to serve apple pie – the official state pie – with an ounce of cheddar cheese or a glass of cold milk.

Shelburne Farms

Shelburne Farms’ herd of cows provides all the milk for about 170,000 pounds of aged raw-milk farmstead cheddar, produced on-farm. Here is a behind the scenes look at their cheddar-making process – and when you visit, watch the cheesemakers in action.

A herd of brown cows in a grassy field outside in the summer.

How Vermont Cheesemakers Work Toward Sustainability

Vermont cheesemakers are proving cheese and dairy have the potential be environmentally sustainable and beneficial. Farmed sustainably, cattle can enrich soil and benefit ecosystems, and a partnership between small cheesemakers and larger operations can make the industry more economically accessible, too.  

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Vermont Cheese Trail

The Vermont Cheese Trail introduces you to more than 45 award-winning cheesemakers who produce over 150 small-batch, sheep, cow and goat specialty cheeses. Sample cheese, meet makers, tour farms, and bring home your favorite rinds you find. This interactive map will help you plan your cheesy adventure.  

Learn More about Vermont Cheese Trail