‘Udderly’ good cheese at Old Chatham Creamery in Groton

I discovered Old Chatham Creamery by chance, while enjoying some wine and cheese with friends. The bleu cheese we were eating was delicious, and I looked at the package to see where I could get more of it. The name, “Ewe’s Blue,” and the cute black sheep on the label were my first surprise — this Roquefort-style cheese was made entirely of sheep’s milk. My second surprise came when I saw where it was made — Groton, New York.

Always on the lookout for interesting local food stories, I did a bit of research. I quickly learned that Old Chatham Creamery is not the little artisan cheese shop I had been expecting but in fact a nationally renowned business producing all-natural, certified non-GMO goat, sheep and cow milk cheeses and yogurts. 

With ties to both Cornell and Wegmans, it is in fact the most-awarded sheep’s milk brand in the U.S. Of 1,742 total entrees in 2019 (the last time the competition was held), the American Cheese Society awarded best in show to Murray’s “Stockinghall Cheddar” and second best in show to Wegmans’ “Professor’s Brie,” both produced at Old Chatham Creamery.

Not only are their sheep (green label) and goat (blue label) products unbelievably creamy and tasty, but I learned from their website that sheep and goat milk are extremely nutritious and easily digestible.

“Compared to cow milk, sheep milk is higher in calcium, potassium, vitamins A, B6, B12, and E,” the website says. “Not to mention it has all 10 essential amino acids and higher protein levels than cow milk. … It’s lower in lactose than cow milk, which allows many people who experience lactose intolerance to consume sheep milk with little to no side effects. … Our sheep and goat yogurts are super packed with probiotics that stabilize and improve overall stomach flora and health.”

Old Chatham Creamery originated in the Hudson Valley in 1993 and began its transition to the Finger Lakes in 2012, when retired Cornell University agriculture professor Dave Galton, Ph.D., and his wife, Sally, purchased the flock. They moved almost 2000 dairy sheep from Old Chatham, New York, to their state-of-the-art farm in Locke in 2014. Purchase and expansion of the cheese production facility came later, with the new creamery opening for business in Groton in 2018.

I was intrigued and made an appointment to visit Old Chatham Creamery the following week. The facility sits high on a hill off Route 222, and though the building is enormous, you wouldn’t necessarily notice it driving by. A small discrete sign at the entrance to the parking lot is the only indication of what now inhabits the former Challenge Workforce food hub site.

I was buzzed in and welcomed warmly by Allyson Brennan. Though the company’s website lists Brennan as the national sales and marketing manager, she was quick to dismiss the title.

“We’re not big on titles here,” Brennan said. “We think of ourselves more like co-captains of the team.”

Other members of the team include Eric Anderson, who manages the creamery, Michael Maloney, who coordinates regional sales, four head cheese makers and more than 25 employees. Owners Dave and Sally Galton, while not directly involved in day-to-day operations, are definitely hands-on and oversee everything from their sheep farm located just 6 miles away.

Brennan explained that the building’s low profile is intentional and designed to discourage visitors.

“We’d love to invite the community in for tours and have locals stop by to purchase our products,” Brennan said. “Unfortunately, our SQF protocols don’t allow us to do that kind of thing.”

Safe Quality Food (SQF) Certification is a rigorous food safety program designed to meet regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain, and they take it very seriously at Old Chatham Creamery. Handing me paper booties, a hair net and a knee-length lab coat, Brennan advised me that jewelry is not allowed in the production facility (“We don’t want any stray earrings falling into the vats!”) and directed me to a sink where I could wash my hands.

With those formalities completed, we began the tour of the 32,0000-square-foot facility. The sterile surroundings and professional protocols were offset by the friendliness of everyone I met. 

The process of making cheese begins with the delivery of raw milk direct from the farm. Whether sheep, goat or cow milk, it is pasteurized before going to one of the four distinct “make rooms.” The Grade A room is where the yogurts and chèvres are made, the bloomy room is for Camembert and brie, the bleu cheeses have their own space, while the fourth area is reserved for Goudas and cheddars. 

Since it was afternoon, many areas had already been cleaned in preparation for the following day’s production, but I was able to observe some activity. Deneth was busy painting wheels of Gouda with a clear wax coating, while Dawn worked in the wrapping room getting containers of yogurt ready for shipping.

We met up with Manager Eric Anderson heating a batch of halloumi in a vat of whey.

“Halloumi is the Greek firm cheese you can grill and fry and bake,” Anderson explained. “It doesn’t break down and stays nice and firm since it has a high melting point. The final step is heating it to 200 degrees.”

Anderson was happy to show me the creamery’s two “caves,” the temperature- and humidity-controlled storage rooms where molds, bacteria and yeasts do their jobs of aging and adding flavor to the cheese. 

In the cheddar cave, wooden racks fill the room from floor to ceiling. Stockinghall Cheddar, named for the building at Cornell where the award-winning cheese was developed, fills the racks in various stages of aging.

“First the truckles [cylinders] of cheddar are wrapped in two layers of bandages dipped in lard. This keeps the moisture in and also provides a growth surface,” Anderson said. “You can see the progression from the young, white cheddar through the blues and greens. They’re like chameleons — always changing.”

After about six months, the final product looks more like a wooden log than a block of cheddar. But once the bandages are unwound, the cheese is revealed — sharp and delicious.

Although the Stockinghall Cheddar is produced and sold for one customer only (Murray’s Cheese), you can find many of Old Chatham Creamery’s products locally at Wegmans, Greenstar Food Co+op, Ithaca Coffee Company, Ithaca Bakery, Gimme! Coffee and Bet the Farm Winery or go to oldchathamcreamery.com to access their online store. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

Food for Thought appears in the first edition of each month in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.