Cheesemaking has long been a part of Vermont life. Dairy cows grazing the velvety pastures of the Green Mountain State are a familiar sight. The milk they produce is one of the state's natural treasures; used to make some of the world's best cheddar cheese.
Grafton, Vermont is a likely setting for a world-class cheddar. Cheesemaking traditions in this historic village date from the nineteenth century when dairy farmers gathered together in a cooperative to make their surplus milk into cheese. In the days before refrigeration, there were many such cooperatives in the rural agricultural communities and an abundance of fresh, creamy milk was turned into a food that could be stored for a longer period of time.