Product Line 2008

Outstanding Product Line 2008: Vermont Butter & Cheese Company

In 1984, the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, Webster-ville, Vt., was founded after a serendipitous series of events put Allison Hooper and Bob Reese together. Reese was the marketing director of the Vermont Department of Agriculture and was organizing a special state dinner where he needed Vermont goat cheese—but couldn’t find any. He had heard that Hooper had trained in artisanal cheesemaking in France, and asked her to make some for him. She agreed. The dinner was a big hit, so was the cheese, and by the time the plates were cleared, Hooper and Reese had decided to go into business together. “We started out with no money and no experience. We were not only making goat cheese but we also had to develop a milk supply for it,” says Hooper.

Today the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company has more than 13 types of cheese and butter in its product line and supports a network of 25 family farms. The company’s goat milk cheeses include varieties of Chevre, Creamy Goat Cheese, Feta, Bonne Bouche, Bijou, Coupole and Fresh Crotin. The cow’s milk products include Crème Fraîche, Cultured Butter with Sea Salt Crystals, Fromage Blanc, Mascarpone and Quark.  

“The Fresh Chevre is still our biggest product,” says Hooper, “then the Crème Fraîche and the butter. We make everything in our creamery. It is just a tiny business but we are maniacal about quality and customer service, and those have been the things that have really helped us grow.

“We’ve also always been passionate about the category,” she adds. “To introduce a product with few resources and marketing dollars you have to believe Americans will eventually grow to like it. And they have.” Suggested retail: $2.99/8 ounces for the Quark to $8.99/2 ounces for the Bijou;  vtbutterandcheeseco.com.—Susan Segrest

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