New Cheesemaker to Operate Plymouth Cheese Factory at Coolidge Historic Site

A new Vermont cheesemaker will begin producing high-quality artisanal cheeses this summer at the Plymouth Cheese Factory, located at the President Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth.
Fairfield Farms Artisan Cheese has signed a lease with the State of Vermont that will begin July 1. The company will create three types of hand-crafted, limited supply cheeses from raw milk at the facility. The site will be operated by Jesse Werner, cheesemaker and owner of Fairfield Farms Artisan Cheese.
Vermont artisanal cheeses are among the best in the world, and this is an outstanding opportunity to promote the unique nature of hand-crafted cheeses and the history of cheesemaking in Vermont, said Kevin Dorn, secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Jesse Werner s business background and his creative marketing ideas to capitalize on the Vermont brand make him an ideal choice to operate the Plymouth Cheese Factory. We are very pleased to have found a local cheesemaker of his caliber.
The Plymouth Cheese Factory will be open daily, with cheese production taking place five days a week. Cheese will be made on the weekends and production will coincide with visitor traffic and special occasions. An interactive system is being planned whereby the viewing audience can ask questions while cheese is being made on site.
Each of the cheeses the traditional Plymouth Cheese, East Mountain, and PassionDale will be produced in quantities of about 3,000 pounds per month. Fairfield Farms Artisan Cheese will pursue a variety of channels of distribution, including the wholesale market, online sales, the retail outlet at the factory, and direct sales to fine restaurants and food fairs.
The facility will have a staff of about four people, and the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery will supply milk for cheese production. Werner has also established a partnership to sell cheese to Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro.
Vermont is known for its high-quality, natural products, and we are committed to producing premium dairy products from the finest ingredients, using the best practices, said Werner. We re looking forward to sharing our products and knowledge with the widest audience possible.
A native Vermonter, Werner was raised in Franklin County; graduated from Brandeis University; received a master of business administration degree in Prague in 2006; and most recently attended the Vermont Institute of Artisanal Cheese at the University of Vermont.
The Plymouth Cheese Factory was built by the father of President Calvin Coolidge, Colonel John Coolidge, James S. Brown and three other local farmers in 1890. The factory produced cheese from the milk produced on area farms and closed in 1934, but was reopened by the President s son, John, in 1960.
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation purchased the factory from John Coolidge in 1998 and spent several years working closely with other state agencies and the Vermont Cheese Council to bring the building up to code while preserving its historic character. Cheese production resumed at the site in 2004.
Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president born on Independence Day, and the event will be commemorated with festivities at his birthplace in Plymouth Notch on Saturday, July 4, as it has for many years.
A National Historic Landmark, Plymouth Notch is considered one of the best-preserved presidential sites in the country. Twelve buildings are on the tour; the site is open through October 18, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily.
For further information, contact the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, (802) 672-3773, or visit the state-owned historic sites online at www.HistoricVermont.org/sites