The family dairy business wasn't what it used to be when it came time for Stuart Veldhuizen to take the reins. Milk traveled from his farm to a co-op where it was mixed with everyone else's milk, and sold under someone else's label. After all his care and hard work, he lamented, no one ever said, "great milk."

Disheartened and disillusioned, Stuart quit the business. Soon after, though, his thoughts turned back to dairy and to the ways of his grandparents, who not only produced milk, but also cream, butter, and, yes, CHEESE!

With few resources besides passion and ingenuity - and seven kids to support - Stuart and his wife, Connie, started a cheese business in 2000. Even buying their first cows was a challenge. In the end, Stuart traded his labor at a nearby dairy farm for calves to build a herd upon. Today, the Veldhuizens have 40 Holstein-Jersey crosses. They’re committed to raw milk cheesemaking, and produce a variety of aged cheeses – some based on traditional recipes, some new creations. Their cheesemaking facility can be seen through the glass wall in their cheese shop, and they store their cheeses in an aging cave dug in the side of a nearby hill.

But a great story is not all we’re talking about here. This is, as Stuart gratefully hears often, “great cheese.”

View Veldhuizen Family Farm cheeses