Details
Born of heartland pride this collection features a range of small producers crafting local food we can all appreciate. Goat’s milk Evalon from LaClare Farms in Wisconsin is tangy with notes of roasted almonds and fresh milk. Forest Alpine from south-central Illinois features the milk of Jersey cows, butter-rich and bursting with barnyard flavors. Followed up with a creamy young gouda from Iowa, a tribute to the Bandstra brothers’ attention to the highest quality milk. We complement these selections with flavorful single-source honey, small batch preserves and rustic, hand-cut crackers.
Evalon
LaClare Family Farm, Chilton, Wisconsin, Raw Goat’s Milk
Larry & Clara Hedrich purchased their farmland in 1978, also acquiring two dairy goats, two peacocks and some laying hens. As their children grew they invested in more animals, and their participation in the goat dairy industry grew. Their daughter Katie is now head cheesemaker and the winner of the first Wisconsin Licensed Cheesemaker Scholarship. She produces Evalon from a herd of 375 dairy goats and has won numerous accolades for this creamy, tangy goat’s milk cheese, aged six months, and winner of the United States Championship Cheese Contest.
Forrest Alpine
Marcoot Jersey Creamery, Greenville, Illinois, Raw Cow’s Milk
Members of the Marcoot family have been raising Jersey cows in southern Illinois for 170 years on pastures procured in 1840. The current generation of sisters Amy, Brooke & Beth have begun to take the creamery to a new level, producing, among others, this aged alpine style from the milk of their 60 head of grass fed cows. The richness of Jersey milk lends itself well to a concentrated flavor profile with pleasant acidity and notes of barnyard.
Mature Gouda
Frisian Farms, Oskaloosa, Iowa, Cow’s Milk
A focus on the ingredients drives Mike and Jason Bandstra in their creation of this Dutch-style gouda from Southeastern Iowa. Their 80 Holstein cows feed on a high class grass diet supplemented by Jason’s adjacent grain farm in the winter months. The milk is carefully monitored and creates a beautifully flaky gouda, which they age out for a minimum of two to four months. Ours is matured for nearly a year, developing caramel flavors and a zesty finish.
Single-Source Honey
Ames Farm, Watertown, Minnesota
Sourced from 18 bee sites spread over 150 miles in southern and central Minnesota, every jar of this single-source honey contains information about its hive, location and contributing flower. Brian Frederickson is head beekeeper and dedicated to representing the diversity of flowers throughout the region. Each jar is full of raw honey sourced from a single plant.
Small Batch preserves
Quince & Apple, Madison, Wisconsin
Husband and wife team Matt & Clare created their small company out of a passion for fruit-rooted seasonal preserves with a balanced and sophisticated flavor profile. Each batch is tweaked and adjusted individually by Matt and highlights the beautiful ingredients within. Crafted for cheese and also fantastic with breakfast, on ice cream or solo on a spoon!
Organic Crackers
Potter’s Crackers, Madison, Wisconsin
This small cracker company was founded in 1996 to fill the need for accompaniments to Wisconsin’s growing artisan cheese production. Nancy and her son Peter are organically certified and source all ingredients for their hand-rolled rustic style crackers from surrounding Wisconsin, with 10 staple flavors produced year round in addition to their seasonal offerings.
Evalon
LaClare Family Farm, Chilton, Wisconsin, Raw Goat’s Milk
Larry & Clara Hedrich purchased their farmland in 1978, also acquiring two dairy goats, two peacocks and some laying hens. As their children grew they invested in more animals, and their participation in the goat dairy industry grew. Their daughter Katie is now head cheesemaker and the winner of the first Wisconsin Licensed Cheesemaker Scholarship. She produces Evalon from a herd of 375 dairy goats and has won numerous accolades for this creamy, tangy goat’s milk cheese, aged six months, and winner of the United States Championship Cheese Contest.
Forrest Alpine
Marcoot Jersey Creamery, Greenville, Illinois, Raw Cow’s Milk
Members of the Marcoot family have been raising Jersey cows in southern Illinois for 170 years on pastures procured in 1840. The current generation of sisters Amy, Brooke & Beth have begun to take the creamery to a new level, producing, among others, this aged alpine style from the milk of their 60 head of grass fed cows. The richness of Jersey milk lends itself well to a concentrated flavor profile with pleasant acidity and notes of barnyard.
Mature Gouda
Frisian Farms, Oskaloosa, Iowa, Cow’s Milk
A focus on the ingredients drives Mike and Jason Bandstra in their creation of this Dutch-style gouda from Southeastern Iowa. Their 80 Holstein cows feed on a high class grass diet supplemented by Jason’s adjacent grain farm in the winter months. The milk is carefully monitored and creates a beautifully flaky gouda, which they age out for a minimum of two to four months. Ours is matured for nearly a year, developing caramel flavors and a zesty finish.
Single-Source Honey
Ames Farm, Watertown, Minnesota
Sourced from 18 bee sites spread over 150 miles in southern and central Minnesota, every jar of this single-source honey contains information about its hive, location and contributing flower. Brian Frederickson is head beekeeper and dedicated to representing the diversity of flowers throughout the region. Each jar is full of raw honey sourced from a single plant.
Small Batch preserves
Quince & Apple, Madison, Wisconsin
Husband and wife team Matt & Clare created their small company out of a passion for fruit-rooted seasonal preserves with a balanced and sophisticated flavor profile. Each batch is tweaked and adjusted individually by Matt and highlights the beautiful ingredients within. Crafted for cheese and also fantastic with breakfast, on ice cream or solo on a spoon!
Organic Crackers
Potter’s Crackers, Madison, Wisconsin
This small cracker company was founded in 1996 to fill the need for accompaniments to Wisconsin’s growing artisan cheese production. Nancy and her son Peter are organically certified and source all ingredients for their hand-rolled rustic style crackers from surrounding Wisconsin, with 10 staple flavors produced year round in addition to their seasonal offerings.