About
transforming milk into cheese
We partner with a local dairy farm that pastures a herd of heritage breed Jersey cows. Our work begins after the morning’s milking, where we pump fresh milk into our stainless milk tanker on wheels for its journey to the creamery. We gently fill our vats with the raw milk, and that's where our process begins. We produce both fresh pasteurized cheeses as well as aged raw milk cheeses. All of our raw milk cheeses are aged for a minimum of 60 days according to FDA food safety standards. Part of our work is to preserve - and celebrate - traditional methods of cheesemaking while weaving in current knowledge on quality, microbial diversity and safety.
We see cheese as a way to transform our landscape. Cheese is not only an expression of culture and place, it is not only a bestower of joy and pleasure; it is a store of value. When a person picks up a wedge of our cheese at a shop in Philadelphia, their food dollars are being directed right back to the farm. Artisan cheese drives regenerative dairy practices because pasture-based systems make happy cows, high quality milk, and the best cheese. Our working partnerships with local, sustainably-driven dairy farms strengthen the bridge between urban and rural communities, between people and soil.
the dairy dream team
We are a woman owned artisan production and a mission-led small business. Our impact on our community and landscape drive our operation. We work together in a collaborative structure to mind the hundreds of details that bring our cheese to life. Valley Milkhouse is: Zoie Moyer, Brie Best, Mary Mox, Jamie Jones and founder Stefanie Angstadt. Melanie Linder is the artist behind our brand.
In addition to this creamery crew, there are several people who help us run deliveries through city traffic, sell cheese at farmers markets in rain, sleet or snow, haul milk from the farm in the earliest hours of the morning, repair our pipes, and fix air conditioners. These people include but are not limited to Owen, David, Ernie, Kelly and Hayden.