Chimacum Valley Dairy
Raw Milk Cheeses made on our farm in Chimacum, WA . Lovingly handcrafted in traditional cheese making methods.
| Peninsular Cheese
Chimacum Valley Dairy is a small, farmstead creamery located in Chimacum, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula not far from Port Townsend.
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| Team Cheese
Chimacum Valley Dairy is a family-run creamery that is owned by Amy Rose Dubin and Bruce Gleeman. Together they tend and maintain their farm’s pastures, raise and milk goats, create raw-milk cheeses by hand, age them on the farm, and sell them to cheese lovers, restaurants, and retailers.
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| Recipe for Success
Bruce is the head cheesemaker at Chimacum Valley Dairy. He is self-taught, having decided to make cheese through his and Amy Rose’s interest in creating a land-based business. Says Amy Rose, “We were enchanted by the combined aspects of raising livestock and culinary endeavor to be a good fit.” Bruce is, after all, a trained chef! His chef training has prepared him for the work of artisanal cheesemaking, which means constantly adjusting cheese recipes to suit changes in the milk that come from the season, the weather, and the animal’s experience on the farm.
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| Labor of Love
Like most farmstead creameries, Chimacum Valley Dairy is a labor of love. The creamery’s two owner-operators work alone to keep the farm running and craft fine, artisanal cheeses by hand. It takes time, patience, and a whole lot of dedication to make cheese the traditional way!
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| Great, Green Goodness
Chimacum Valley Dairy is located on a gorgeous plot of land in the Chimacum Valley. The farm’s herd of goats graze freely in the summer and early autumn, enjoying the beautiful greenery surrounding them. In addition to producing their own, high-quality raw goat’s milk, the creamery also sources raw cow’s milk from a neighboring dairy farm.
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| Coastal Originals
Chimacum Valley Dairy’s raw-milk, natural-rind cow and goat’s milk cheeses are a delight to behold. These beautiful wheels are made from original recipes developed by cheesemaker Bruce. When asked what style their cheeses most closely resemble, Amy Rose said, “Our cheese are not categorized; we don’t want that comparison. We could say they are Alpine-style, but we live at an elevation of 121 feet.” That makes Chimacum Valley Dairy’s cheeses truly coastal, Washington cheeses!
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| The Gang's All Here
Chimacum Valley Dairy’s lineup of cheeses is small, but mighty. Among the raw-milk lovelies the creamery makes are: Chimatomme (a goat’s milk Tomme), West Valley Wheel (a cow’s milk small-format wheel), flavored versions of West Valley Wheel that include orange and coriander or cumin, Capricorn (a goat’s milk cheese flavored with peppercorns), and the farm favorite, Nice Ash (a cow’s milk cheese accented with maritime pine ash).
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| And the Favorite is...
Chimacum Valley Dairy’s lineup of cheeses is small, but mighty. Among the raw-milk lovelies the creamery makes are: Chimatomme (a goat’s milk Tomme), West Valley Wheel (a cow’s milk small-format wheel), flavored versions of West Valley Wheel that include orange and coriander or cumin, Capricorn (a goat’s milk cheese flavored with peppercorns), and the farm favorite, Nice Ash (a cow’s milk cheese accented with maritime pine ash).
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
| Come and Goat it
If you are wondering where you can pick up some of Chimacum Valley Dairy’s cheeses, you have a couple of options. If you are in Western Washington, you can head to the Port Townsend farmer’s market on Saturdays, April through December, to pick some up in person. The cheeses are for sale locally at the Chimacum Corner Farmstand and the Port Townsend Food Co-Op. The creamery does ship within Washington and out-of-state, so you can contact them directly to get some cheese in the mail. Finally, Chimacum Valley Dairy’s cheeses are distributed through DPI Specialty Foods, so you may be able to find their cheeses at any of the grocery stores DPI services; if you don’t see Chimacum Valley Dairy’s cheese at your local retail cheese counter, ask the cheesemonger or cheese buyer if they work with DPI and if they can bring some in!
Photo credit to Janee’ Muha, The Mobile Monger.
