Cascadia Creamery is a family owned and operated creamery located in Trout Lake, Washington, at the base of the iconic Mt. Adams, a 12,280 foot stratovolcano that is part of the Cascade Mountain Range. Cascadia Creamery is owned and operated by John and Marci Shuman who make organic raw milk cheeses that are not only delicious, but nutritious as well.
Trout Lake is an idyllic location to raise dairy cows with its pristine mountain-fed water and lush green valley. It’s been home to dairy farming and cheese-making for decades. Be it the Swiss settlers from the 1880s or the wartime cheese production of the 1940’s, cheese is part of the Trout Lake culture. One need only look around the Trout Lake area to find signs of it’s past and present-day dairy roots. Road names such as Old Creamery Road and lava tubes named Butter or Cheese Cave dot the landscape, as do the heritage breed Jersey, Dutch Belted and Friesian cows.
The Trout Lake Valley is beautiful and it’s what drew Marci and John to the area some twenty years ago. When he first settled in the area, John interned at one of the family-run dairy farms in the area. John, a naturally inquisitive type, wanted to learn all about dairy farming, from caring for the cows to managing milk production. And, for compensation for his labor, all he asked for was the occasional farm-fresh milk. As John worked, more and more fresh milk came home with him, until one day, he realized that he had way too much milk on his hands. So, as not to see this milk go to waste, he began to make cheese; and it turns out, John was pretty good at it. In fact, the more cheese he made, the more his friends and family wanted it. Word spread and so did John and Marci’s cheese-making venture.
Today, John and his team make about 200-250 wheels of cheese per week from unpasteurized, raw milk from Charis Way Dairy, a fourth generation family dairy located about one mile from the creamery in Trout Lake. The milk is full of good probiotic bacteria, enzymes and vitamins, and is antibiotic-free, certified organic and unique in that it is A2 milk.
What is A2 milk? A2 refers to the protein or beta-casein in the cow’s milk. Regular milk contains primarily A1 beta-casein, but A2 milk contains only the A2 protein. A2 milk is considered healthier, and research over the last twenty years has shown that A2 milk is more digestible for those with sensitivities.
Cascadia Creamery cheeses are also aged in natural lava tubes created by past volcanic eruptions of Mt. Adams. It is said that the temperature, humidity and other conditions of these caves are ideal for cheesemaking and resemble the Roquefort Caves of France. The aging conditions, combined with the highly nutritious milk, provides for incredible cheeses that are absolutely delicious. From the semi-soft washed rind cheese called Sawtooth to the meaty, bacony and rich blue-cheese called Glacier Blue, you are certain to find a cheese that suits your tastes and compliments your dish.
You can find Cascadia Creamery cheeses in markets and grocery stores throughout Washington, Oregon and Northern California. For those that do not live in the Pacific Northwest, do not fret! Cascadia Creamery has partnered with Williams Sonoma so that you can order and purchase cheese through their website at https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cascadia-creamery-cheese-collection/. Cheeses are shipped directly from the creamery for next day delivery so that you, too, can enjoy these beautiful cheeses at your table this holiday season.
