Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese

June 30, 2011

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Update – December 12: Here is the equipment Willapa Hills purchased with funds from the Local Producer Loan Program! A 600 Gallon Double O Cheese Vat/Pasteurizer to expand production capacity and reduce stress on staff and creamery.

The money that we lent to them was also used to purchase:

1. Piston Filler: To accurately portion product and fill cups at an efficient speed.
2. MAPS Cup Sealer: To vacuum and heat seal cups to extend shelf life and enhance quality.
3. Vacuum Chamber: To vacuum and seal whole and cut wedges of aged cheeses

In part because of our belief and support of Willapa Hills they were able to secure additional funds through Slow Money NW to purchase the vat that is in the picture.

I recently spent the day with Stephen Hueffed and Amy Turnbull on their farm, Willapa Hills, in Doty, WA. What a wonderful experience.  The day started with observing the last of the morning milking of their flock of Lacaune-East Friesian cross dairy ewes and ended with a cheese tasting and great conversation at their kitchen table.

Stephen had always wanted to make cheese. A visit to a goat cheese dairy in Napa while he and Amy were still dating firmly planted the seed. The couple took the first step toward realizing their dream with the purchase of their farm in 2005 – and that was only the beginning. Restoring the farm, starting their flock of dairy ewes, building an on-farm creamery and much more had to be done before they produced their first batch of cheese on July 4, 2008. Fresh with Ewe, their first cheese, is a 100% sheep milk with a blue rind.

Today, Willapa Hills makes seven different cheeses plus six varieties of yogurt cheeses and eight varieties of blue cheese dips, all by hand in small batches in their farmstead creamery.

Here I am learning about the cheesemaking process!

All of the sheep milk used in their cheeses is produced by their flock of ewes. The cows milk that is used to make some of the cheese and yoghurt is purchased from a neighbor. The pasture-raised sheep are never exposed to pesticides, commercial fertilizers or growth hormones.

It’s difficult to pick a favorite but the two I enjoyed most that afternoon were Fresh with Ewe and Pluvious. Have you tried Willapa Hills cheese? What’s your favorite?