Got cheese? Creamery in northeast Washington debuts curds with Spokane-flavored blends, aiming to expand cheese production while cutting back on milk

CHEWELAH – For the past six months, Virginia Thomas has asked customers the same question: “What’s your favorite cheese?”

Those answers are now making their way onto the town’s local creamery menu.

The Columbia Community Creamery has added cheese production to its line of dairy products after months of brainstorming. Thomas, co-owner of Clover Mountain Dairy, said since it started two weeks ago, the nonprofit now has different flavored curds, with unique seasoning blends coming from Spiceology, a locally owned business in Spokane.

Clover Mountain Dairy is one of three small farms the organization brought together in 2022 to process and distribute their milk within the community. The other two farms are Heinemann Dairy and Lake Wolf Creamery.

“We have a bunch of different fun curd flavors, such as loaded baked potato, honey habanero – Old Bay, like the Old Bay seafood seasoning,” said Thomas, who also serves as treasurer on the nonprofit’s board.

The production process involves only four ingredients: milk, culture, rennet and salt. About 1 gallon of milk becomes 1 pound of cheese.

Thomas said they make cheese on Mondays and Thursdays, producing about 300 pounds each day.

Kaylee Gilbert, the nonprofit’s plant lead, said the most difficult thing about switching from milk to cheese is having to add ingredients at specific times.

“You have to add rennet and culture at a certain time, and you have to spin it for a certain amount of time in a certain way. So it’s kind of a lot to remember all at once, but it’s pretty easy once you get it down and get it in routine,” Gilbert said.

Keeping customers’ favorites in mind, they expect to have fresh feta, as well as Monterey and Pepper Jack, ready in the next two weeks, she said.

Feta, cheddar and mozzarella cheese were the top answers they received, Thomas said.

“Cheese is one of the most historically significant ways in which to preserve milk. It’s a great way to take a fresh product and turn it into something that will last,” she said.

With increased production of curds and planned cheese products, Thomas said they have cut back milk sales and stopped distributing in more than 10 locations, including businesses in Spokane and Stevens counties. The only locations they will continue to supply are the Scale House Market in Spokane and the nonprofit’s location in Chewelah.

She noted, however, that they anticipate bringing cheese products to those locations gradually as inventory increases.

“I would say we are already seeing dividends from that. People are very excited about cheese. We have been selling a lot,” Thomas said.

As part of their launch, the nonprofit also is hosting a curd party from noon to 4 p.m. on March 28. Attendees can enjoy sampling a variety of curds while touring the plant and seeing the new cheesemaking equipment, she said. Entry is $10 per person.

“It’s kind of just like a celebration of where we are in our community,” Thomas said.