Farm Visit: Ploughgate Creamery

A couple of us from the Co-op had the opportunity to visit Ploughgate Creamery at Bragg Hill Farm in Fayston, VT the other week. 

The name Ploughgate Creamery may ring a bell with some of you.  Owned by Marisa Mauro, Ploughgate Creamery used to be known for cheese, particularly the well-known cheese Willoughby, and was based up near Albany, VT.  Unfortunately, the building in Albany experienced a fire, and Ploughgate Creamery cheese ceased production (Marisa sold the production rights of Willoughby to Cellars at Jasper Hill, so you can still find that cheese in our cheese case).

Marisa Mauro

Despite this tragedy, Marisa did not give up.  About a year and a half ago, she worked with the Vermont Land Trust to purchase the 50 acre Bragg Hill Farm, located in Fayston, VT.  The farm is protected from development by a conservation easement, while also providing productive agricultural use of the land.  Marisa went right to work, adding a creamery onto the existing barn infrastructure and cleaning and renovating the building.  Once renovations have been completed, Marisa is planning on purchasing a small herd of Jersey cows (think about 15 cows) to milk onsite and to operate as a certified organic dairy (she currently buys milk from the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery).       

Ploughgate Creamery at Bragg Hill Farm

Right now, Marisa is focusing on making fresh butter.  She currently makes small batches of fresh butter, but has faced what many mid-sized farmers and producers face – a difficulty in finding size appropriate, working equipment. Marisa has luckily been able to piece together the equipment she needs, from a small pasteurizer she got from the Cellars at Jasper Hill to a butter churn she had specially manufactured and a separator that came by way of Ukraine and Maine.

Separator and Butter Churn

In the near future, Marisa would also like to start making some fresh cheeses, such as ricotta and farmers’ cheese, branching out from what she did in the past.  And her friends at Rogers Farmstead will soon be using her creamery to also produce yogurt.  While there is still work to be done before Marisa’s dreams can be realized, walking through the fields talking with her while watching a storm blow in over Mt. Ellen, we could tell that Marisa was passionate and excited about the future of Ploughgate Creamery at Bragg Hill Farm. And so are we.

You can find salted Ploughgate Creamery butter in our Perishables cooler, and we’ll soon be carrying her unsalted butter as well.