Plymouth Artisan Cheese - Aged Cheddar

The Plymouth Cheese Factory was built in 1890 by Col. John Coolidge, a dairy farmer, looking to extend the shelf life of his milk. Not much has changed since those days. The cheese factory is the same today as it was back then. Recipe and all. Calvin Coolidge was born and raised in Plymouth. He was sworn in as 30th President of the U.S.A. in the middle of the night in 1923 at his childhood home. First Lady Grace Coolidge initiated preservation of the factory. It became a very popular tourist destination, even throughout the Great Depression. In 1960, President Coolidge’s son John revived the cheese factory which had been closed since 1934. The Coolidge family still owns about 500 acres of the surrounding small hill farms. In 1998, John Coolidge sold the cheese factory to the state of Vermont with the understanding that cheese would continue to be made there as long as the building was standing.

In 2009, cheesemaker Jesse Werner submitted a proposal to revive the Plymouth Cheese Factory and the original 1890’s granular curd cheddar recipe. Jesse had attended the Vermont Institute of Artisanal Cheese (VIAC) at the University of Vermont, and also apprenticed with the renowned Québécois  cheesemaker, Marc Andre St. Yves. When his proposal was accepted, Jesse jumped at the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream.