Bad news: chances are your favorite “artisan” cheese comes from a giant multinational conglomerate (not so artisan). Take Humboldt Fog, for example. Great cheese (one of California’s favorites), but actually from a giant company that operates in over 17 different countries with almost 9k employees. According to the ACS (American Cheese Society), “artisan cheese” must be primarily made by hand and employ as little mechanization as possible, but is permitted to use milk from any source. “Farmstead cheese,” on the other hand, must be crafted on-site at the farm, using milk directly from the cheesemaker/farmer’s own animals. Small artisan cheese makers aren’t always what you think they are, and farmstead makers are largely struggling and going extinct.
Good news: Lark’s Meadow is just three hours north from Salt Lake City. They are one of the few remaining farmstead makers practicing animal husbandry and land stewardship the way our ancestors would recognize. We’ve partnered with them to buy entire batches of cheese and age them from start to finish in our cheese cave. This collaboration enables Kendall and his small family farm to focus on care for their sheep and cows, and allows us to nerd out about all things cheese/aging.
Rocky Mountain Sky is the flagship of our collaboration with Lark’s Meadow Farms. A sheep and cow’s milk blend at its base, this cheese blooms with a chalky, delicate white rind reminiscent of a classic French Brie. Inside you’ll find a soft and pillowy, yet flaky paste that feels akin to clouds over the Rockies, swaddled in a subtle cream line that carries salty, vegetal funk. This cheese is fresh, and its flavors will change with the terroir of the seasons. Our affineurs are hard at work refining their recipe/technique, and while it’s quite delicious already, we’re confident it will only get better with each subsequent batch.
Ultimately, this cheese represents a meeting of “artisan” and “farmstead.” It feels, tastes, and reminds us of home. Know that when you taste it, you are enjoying the milk from a small family farm, shaped and cared for by sparingly few human hands. No giant corporations allowed. If you find yourself missing the high desert of the Rockies, or you want to know what it’s like, this’ll tell you. Please enjoy! We know you will, because we sure already do!