Yep, that’s right- Tillamook Cheese. I lived in Portland, OR for three years where I sold produce and some grocery items to chefs at Duck Delivery. For almost a year I was tormented by the grocery manager, Ron, about how Tillamook Cheddar, out of Tillamook, OR, beat out Wisconsin in the medium cheddar category. And for almost a year, I fervently defended my home state saying that Tillamook’s medium cheddar had a flavor profile more like a Wisconsin mild. And don’t get me wrong, I ate lots of Tillamook Cheddar when I lived out there and I visited the factory and even did the tour more than once.
Flash forward to a grocery trip to Econofoods in River Falls, WI months later. I am looking for some “good” Wisconsin cheese. Guess what I find? Tillamook! All the way from Oregon here in Wisconsin. Pure blasphemy!!! And there wasn’t any other farmstead or local cheese. Plus, you can imagine the markup in getting it from there to here. I was not used to those prices. Double blasphemy.
And that’s where the concept of WeatherVane Creamery *really* started to take place. That day a year ago at Econofoods. From there, I went to the James J. Hill Reference Library in St. Paul and researched the specialty dairy industry and realized what a good fit it would be in my business plan.
And for that, I am grateful. That fateful day amongst fateful days.
PS- During a cheese judging class at the American Cheese Society Conference, Tillamook Medium Cheddar was used to demonstrate flavor profiles. Master cheesemaker, Jeff Jurik, from the Caves of Faribault agreed that west coast cheese has a more mild flavor. Take that! I am justified.