A Living Tradition
At 5:30am in the rolling hills of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, the milk arrives still warm from the morning milking. Thomas Hartwell, third-generation cheesemaker, has been up since four. His grandfather built this creamery in 1952; his father expanded it; Thomas has refined it — but the core process remains exactly as it was seventy years ago.
The Milk Matters Most
Everything begins with milk quality. Hartwell sources exclusively from a single herd of Brown Swiss cows grazing 400 acres of certified organic pasture. 'You can't make extraordinary cheese from ordinary milk,' Thomas explains, stirring a 500-gallon vat where that morning's milk is coming to temperature. 'The fat structure, the protein ratios, the microbial life in the milk — all of it shapes what the cheese becomes.'
Cultures and Time
The starter cultures used at Hartwell Creamery have been maintained for over forty years — living colonies that have evolved with the environment of this specific building. They're more than inoculants; they're the terroir of the cheese itself. Added to the warm milk, they begin the acidification that will transform liquid into something solid, complex, and — given enough time — profound.
The Aging Caves
Below the creamery, carved into a hillside, are the aging caves. At 55°F and 90% humidity, wheels are turned and brushed by hand twice weekly. A three-month cheese is already impressive; a twelve-month is extraordinary. But the eighteen-month wheels — those are what Hartwell calls his 'lifetime project.' They develop calcium lactate crystals that crunch pleasurably, a deep amber rind, and flavors that cycle from caramel to toasted nuts to something almost butterscotch.
Competition and Recognition
Hartwell's aged cheddar has won Best in Show at the American Cheese Society awards three times. His response? 'Awards are lovely, but they don't change how I make cheese. The only judge I care about is whether someone takes a bite and goes quiet for a moment — because the flavor has their full attention.' That silence, he says, is everything.
Marcus Chen
Editor-at-Large, GourmetShopping