Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 2369
cheese focus
PHOTO: CENTRAL COAST CREAMERY
38 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com
M
ixed-milk cheeses are probably as old as cheese itself, but
they are a trending niche for America's artisan cheesemakers.
Pioneers like Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert—a sheep-
cow blend from New York's Old Chatham Sheepherding Co.—now have
plenty of company as more creameries consider the benefits of combining
milk from cows, goats, and sheep. For retailers, this blossoming category
offers a new story to entice customers.
Some Practical Motivations
In Europe, mixed-milk cheeses are commonplace wherever the landscape supports mixed
livestock. Greece's feta (sheep's and goat's milk) and the mixed-milk robiolas of Italy's
Piedmont region come readily to mind. Mixing milks allows a cheesemaker to moderate
supply fluctuations, ramping up the goat's milk percentage in a recipe when the sheep
output declines.
Mixed-milk recipes enable American cheesemakers to stretch precious and costly
sheep's milk and to keep a cheese below a target price point. Some cheesemakers are
embracing mixed-milk cheeses for the creative challenge or as a way to add novelty to a
familiar format like cheddar or brie-style cheese.
