Starting a Cheesemaking Farm

Making fresh, natural, organic cheeses can be both personally rewarding and lucrative. However, success doesn’t happen by accident.

Starting a cheesemaking farm requires proper planning. You’ll want to take the time to learn how to make cheese by apprenticing, taking classes, and learning the trade. Good equipment is the key to quality control and standardization. Consider buying fresh milk before investing in cows or goats, which will save time and money.

Starting a cheese farm can be a great career decision, but there are plenty of thoughts to consider:

• Do you want to start from scratch or buy an existing business?
• Develop your own personal recipes
• Research local, federal, and state laws for a cheese making business
• Know the cheese making process
• Build relationships with local dairy farmers
• Sell at farmers markets, a retail store, or an online shop
• Produce small scale batches or plan for large scale commercial
• Decide what your end goals are and work backwards