Sheep’s Milk Cheeses Are Expanding Opportunities For U.S. Producers
Sheep’s milk cheeses — which have been famous for centuries in countries such as Spain (Manchego), Italy (Pecorino Romano) and Greece (Feta) — have a much younger history in the United States. However, U.S. sheep’s and mixed-milk cheeses increasingly are gaining notice on national and international stages, thanks to innovative cheesemakers, their award-winning products and promotional efforts.
The Rise Of Sheep’s Milk Cheeses In The U.S.
One of the first U.S.-made sheep’s milk cheeses to gain national attention was from Carr Valley Cheese, based in La Valle, Wisconsin.
“Sid Cook had purchased the La Valle plant in the mid-1980s, and at the time, it was just making cow’s milk daisies. Sid started stepping into other types of milks in the mid- to late-’90s. This was pretty unheard of at the time, especially mixed-milk cheeses,” says Elle Williams, director of sales and brand development for Carr Valley Cheese.
She notes that Cook had done some traveling in Europe and was inspired by the cheeses he had seen in Spain.
“He was probably one of the first ones on the U.S. scene with those cheeses in the mid-’90s,” she says. “He started presenting them at award shows in the early 2000s, and won Best of Show at the American Cheese Society contest in 2004.”
That Best of Show cheese, Gran Canaria, was an aged mixed sheep, goat and cow milk cheese. Williams says this was around when mixed and sheep’s milk cheeses started to become more visible in the United States. Every year, she says, these cheeses become more diverse. Today, Carr Valley makes about 10 different sheep milk cheeses and 10 mixed-milk varieties.
Hook’s Cheese Builds A Line Of Award-Winning Sheep’s Milk Cheeses
Another established Wisconsin cheesemaker, Tony Hook, started making sheep’s milk cheeses soon after in 2009. He was approached by Brenda Jensen, who at the time owned Hidden Springs Creamery in Westby, Wisconsin, about making a Blue sheep’s milk cheese for the farmstead operation. Hook also had been interested in adding sheep’s milk varieties at Hook’s Cheese Co., Mineral Point, Wisconsin, which he co-owns with his wife Julie, so they collaborated with Jensen to create Hook’s Little Boy Blue and Hidden Spring’s Bohemian Blue.
Hook’s still typically procures all of its sheep milk from Hidden Springs Creamery, and Little Boy Blue has become Hook’s most-awarded variety and among its best-selling sheep’s milk cheeses. Hook now makes 12 varieties of sheep’s milk cheeses as well as other mixed-milk cheeses.
“Since 2009 when we started with sheep cheeses, it really has picked up. Compared to that first year, we probably have five times the sales,” Hook says.
Evolving Consumer Preferences Drive Demand
He attributes this to consumers’ willingness to try different things, and that people are more familiar with sheep’s milk cheese today than they were 15-16 years ago.
“At the farmers market, people like to try things, but some people don’t like the tang of goat’s milk. When they try sheep’s milk cheese, they’re really excited — sheep’s milk is sweeter that goat’s milk.”
Flavor and digestibility are two attributes that draw consumers to Carr Valley’s sheep’s milk cheese, according to Williams.
“I think a lot of it is the flavor. Sheep’s milk provides a sweeter flavor and is a little nutty, depending on age,” she notes. “People’s palates continue to evolve, and we find more and more people willing to try something new or with a different flavor. Chefs and restaurants want something you don’t see as often to make a dish a little more unique and put their own stamp on it.”
Another big draw for people requesting sheep’s milk cheese is because of dietary reasons. Some who have trouble digesting cow’s milk can more easily handle sheep’s milk due to differences in its protein and fat composition.
“People reach out, and they’re happy to see all the sheep’s milk cheese that is available,” Williams says. “We try to offer a vast range to meet any customer’s needs, to spread awareness and explain to the customers how that product is made.”
Unique Varieties And Cheesemaking Advantages
One of Carr Valley’s best-selling cheeses is Mobay, which is half sheep and half goat, divided by a layer of ash. Another is its Menage — a blend of sheep’s, goat’s and cow’s milk cheeses in a milder recipe that is more approachable.
Hook says he finds sheep’s milk easy to work with — it contains about double the amount of butterfat and protein as cow’s milk, and sets much faster after the rennet is added. In a sheep’s milk Butterkase variety he makes, he doesn’t need to add extra cream due to the high fat content already in the milk, along with a proprietary combination of cultures used.
“Most of the cheeses turn out great,” he says. “The texture is pretty close to that of cow’s milk. The flavor is a little sweeter. We like to age (sheep’s milk cheeses) out a couple of years, and there are quite a few crystals.”
In addition to its Little Boy Blue, Hook’s Sheep’s Milk Gouda and Smoked Gouda are popular, along with Ewe’s Be Amazed — a dry Jack-style cheese with floral flavors — and its sheep’s milk cheese with Italian truffles.
“Sheep milk is kind of fun to work with and make different things with,” Hook says. “Because I’ve made cow’s milk cheese for 55 years, it’s always fun to play with new things. Sheep’s milk is coming along. It may take a while, and a lot of the cheeses that are imported are sheep milk. But I think we can produce better quality sheep milk cheeses here if we can get it in the hands of consumers and they can try it.”
Industry Support Through The Sheep Dairy Association Of Wisconsin
Carr Valley and Hook’s Cheese both are members of the Sheep Dairy Association of Wisconsin, which was organized in 2016 with the mission to help improve efficiencies that support producers, help new sheep dairy farmers get started and to help cheesemakers develop new artisan cheeses with sheep’s milk.
“This is a very exciting time for the sheep industry,” says Karen Nielsen, organizational manager for the association, which has 20 industry members plus about 185 who have signed up as “friends” or “fans” of Wisconsin sheep dairy and sheep’s milk products. “Some of the established cheesemakers are seeing their sheep milk cheeses do very well. They are excited about the properties of sheep milk. There are more solids, so less sheep milk is needed to make cheese. More protein and fat really make it a nice cheese to work with.”
Events And Recognition Elevate Domestic Sheep’s Milk Cheeses
The Sheep Dairy Association also works to promote awareness of Wisconsin’s sheep’s milk cheeses and other products through events such as fairs and festivals. The last couple of years, its members attended the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, held every fall in Jefferson, Wisconsin, providing milking and cooking demonstrations and sampling and selling their sheep’s milk cheeses.
These outreach efforts, along with the increasing visibility at national and international contests, have helped to boost the profile of domestic sheep’s milk cheeses.
“We’re all very excited about what’s been happening over the last two years at the contests,” Nielsen says. “Our cheesemakers tend to win lots of awards in the ‘all milks’ categories. It’s helped with their success. I’m always excited about the prizes people win with their cheeses, and the new products coming out.”
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Source: Cheese Market News
