Our handcrafted Farmstead Gouda is an authentic Dutch style cheese. To define the practice of “Farmstead” is to quote the famous Max McCalman. (His latest book, Mastering Cheese 2009) He quotes ”An important subset of artisanal is farmstead. This means the milk production and the cheese making occur on the same farm, and the family/company is responsible for both operations.” And he admits an honest farmstead cheese is almost always your best bet.

He is also quoted: “Oakvale Farmstead Cheese (p 373) is a hard, pressed, cooked, Gouda style, raw cow’s milk, similar to Goudse Boerenkass.” “Boer” is the Dutch word for farmer, only about 1 percent of Dutch gouda is farmstead cheese.

Therefore, for the past 7 years Oakvale has provided an award winning premium cheese respected on a local and national platform.  Our cheese is made solely from the milk of our grass fed registered Holstein cows. Our milk is a grade A premium quality which produces a smooth buttery gouda with a creamy texture.

Mission: Our mission is to provide a wholesome superior farmstead gouda while accommodating our consumers with knowledge and respect of their food supply origin and a connection to our family farm.

Benefits of shopping at local farmers market: Overall markets consist of an array of artisans, such as produce, dairy, meat, breads, honey, etc. We are all small operations forming an alliance and bringing back the traditions of buying and supporting local producers. We believe organizations like  CSA’s and Slow Foods should be credited for educating communities to connect and support  local farmers and for creating the “local food movement.”

What we love about what we do: We enjoy the interaction with consumers when they taste our cheese for the first time. We never tire of the expression of pure bliss as they savor the flavor of Oakvale’s best! We define success as the acknowledgment and appreciation we receive from loyal customers who have supported Oakvale through farmers’ markets, specialty markets, national chain stores, restaurants and for the die-hard cheese fans who visit our store at the farm. We have numerous guest books dating back 7 years, and we have had visitors from every state and several countries. We thank all of you for the support, loyalty and preservation of our family farm.