By Joanna O’Leary
Maine is home to a different type of cheesehead. Each year, mongers from Presque Isle to Portland produce myriad forms of fromage, giving lobster and blueberries a run for their money with regard to being the official state food. To make sure these businesses’ valiant cheese-making efforts don’t curdle, the Maine Cheese Guild serves as the organizing agency for the sharing of resources and the general promotion of the state’s cheesy offerings. The guild also helps guide consumers to the best of the best with regard to Maine cheese by distinguished producers with its annual cheese awards.
Greater Bangor alone holds many notable cheesemakers, including several who have recently received these aforementioned honors. Mark Whitney and Larry Wintle of Pineland Farms Dairy (located on, we kid you not, Milk Street in Bangor) have transformed the dairy from a small operation to a full-scale multidimensional creamery that churns out thousands of pounds of cheddar, baby swiss, feta, and monterey jack each year. In 2022, Pineland won Guild accolades for its crispy, nutty four-year and three-year aged cheddar cheese. What’s their secret? Some cite their expert leadership and newly renovated state-of-the-art facility. However, those in the know point to their mottled, prone-to-mooing workers. Pineland’s dairy cows are among one of the oldest registered Holstein herds in the United States.
An hour’s drive or so from Bangor will bring you to even more talented and award-winning mongers, such as Balfour Farm. The state’s only certified organic dairy and farmstead, Balfour specializes in stinky and superb raw milk aged cheeses. Their Cider Washed Gouda (pungent with a soupçon of sweetness) was bestowed with the 2022 Maine Cheese Awards prize for Best Washed Rind Cheese, while their Pine Tree Parmesan (studded with salty crystals) was named Best Natural Rind Cheese. And word is spreading beyond state borders about Balfour’s superior spreadable wares, for the farm has also taken home prizes from the regional Big E! Gold Cheese competition and from the American Cheese Society’s national awards.
Like Pineland Farms, Heather Donahue and her husband and business partner Doug tip their hat at their bovine coworkers.
“Our passion for cheese-making has grown from our love of our Normande Cows,” she said. “Their milk is so easy to work with, and the transformation into cheese is always an adventure.”
According to Donahue, their and other Mainer’s success in cheese-making can also be attributed to the state’s diverse support network.
“It starts with regulatory support from the Maine DACF, and food safety systems and training support from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension staff,” Donahue said. “In recent years, The Maine Cheese Guild has partnered with Maine Farmland Trust to offer cheesemakers and dairy farms technical assistance and business training as well. The overall support for farming systems in Maine is a strength for the state in maintaining a vibrant rural landscape.”
Round out your road trip with a trip to Deer Isle to check out Yellow Birch Farm, especially if you’re craving softer, fragrant fromage. They are the G.O.A.T. of goat products in Maine, vending top-notch caprine ice cream, cosmetics, yogurt, and, of course, cheeses. Their Garlic & Herb and Honey Lemon chevres took home top honors for Best Fresh Flavored Cheese.
In the world of Maine cheese, all things fromage come to a head every September during the annual Maine Cheese Festival, held this year in Manson Park in Pittsfield. In addition to hosting its annual awards ceremony, the festivities also include food trucks, a petting zoo, live music, and, of course, a veritable buffet of cheese samples from dozens of vendors. If you can’t make it to the festival, another terrific way to acquaint yourself with the wonderful world of Maine cheese is Open Creamery Day in October, when dairies and cheese manufacturers all over the state are open to the public for tours, lectures, and meet-and-greets with the VIA (Very Important Animals) involved in cheese production.
