Cascadia's Cheese: A Tasty Tour Of The Region's Dairy Delights

The Cascadia Creamery is a family-run business located in the foothills of Mt. Adams, in Trout Lake, Washington. They craft raw-milk, certified organic, artisan cheeses. The cheese is aged in a cave—specifically, a lava tube cave—which gives it a unique flavour. Their most famous cheeses are Sleeping Beauty, Cloud Cap, Sawtooth, and Glacier Blue.

The creamery is located in the foothills of Mt. Adams

The Cascadia Creamery is nestled in the foothills of Mt. Adams, in the small town of Trout Lake, Washington. The creamery is surrounded by the majestic landscape of the mountain, with its mineral-rich glacial streams and ancient volcanic caves. The natural environment plays a pivotal role in crafting their distinctive cheeses.

The creamery is located near the base of Mt. Adams, an active volcano that lends its volcanic soil and network of lava tube caves to the cheese-making process. The caves, formed by lava tubes, provide the ideal conditions for ageing cheese. The volcanic soil enriches the meadows where the cows graze, and the pristine glacial streams supply the water for the dairy cows.

The creamery's location allows them to source milk from a fourth-generation family dairy farm, which upholds exceptional standards of humane animal husbandry and ethical land stewardship. This commitment to sustainability and the revival of artisan cheesemaking in the Trout Lake Valley are central to Cascadia Creamery's ethos.

The unique terroir of the region, influenced by volcanic soil, mountain water, and ancient cave air, imparts a distinct flavour to their cheeses. The creamery's dedication to their craft and the land ensures that every bite of their cheese is a taste of the Cascadia terroir.

The creamery's location in the shadow of Mt. Adams is not just a backdrop but an integral part of their cheese-making process, from the cows' diet to the ageing caves. This integration of the natural environment sets Cascadia Creamery apart and contributes to the exceptional quality and flavour of their cheeses.

The cheese is aged in a lava tube cave

The story of Cascadia Creamery's cave-aged cheese began with a chance discovery by owner John Schuman. While tending to pregnant cows, he stumbled upon a lava tube cave, a remnant of Mt. Adams' volcanic past. This cave presented ideal conditions for cheese ageing, with perfect humidity and temperature. John's vision was to create a cheese-ageing facility that capitalised on the natural advantages of the cave.

The process of transforming the cave into a USDA-approved cheese-ageing facility was meticulous. The result is a one-of-a-kind facility that combines modern techniques with the natural environment. This fusion of human craftsmanship and nature's bounty gives Cascadia Creamery cheeses their distinctive flavour and character.

The ancient lava tube cave is integral to the ageing of three of Cascadia Creamery's flagship cheeses: Sleeping Beauty, Cloud Cap, and Glacier Blue. The cave's environment, with its unique air, imparts a volcanic terroir to the cheeses, enhancing their flavour and texture. This process sets Cascadia Creamery apart, resulting in cheeses that are truly a product of their environment.

The cave-ageing process is a testament to Cascadia Creamery's commitment to reviving the art of artisan cheesemaking in the Trout Lake Valley. By embracing the natural advantages of their location, they have created cheeses with unparalleled complexity and flavour. This dedication to their craft and connection to the land is what makes Cascadia Creamery's cheeses so exceptional.

The cheese is crafted from raw, unpasteurised milk

The cheese produced at Cascadia Creamery is crafted from raw, unpasteurised milk. This family-run operation, located in the foothills of Mt. Adams in Trout Lake, Washington, has a long history of artisan cheesemaking. The process of crafting cheese from raw milk is an ancient one, practised for thousands of years, and it brings with it a host of benefits. Raw milk is a rich source of good probiotic bacteria, enzymes and vitamins, offering a delicious and creamy texture that is a testament to traditional cheesemaking.

The milk sourced for Cascadia Creamery's cheese comes from a fourth-generation family dairy, where the cows spend their days grazing lush meadows. The mineral-rich milk is a product of the cows' diet, which includes the volcanic soils of Mt. Adams and water from pristine glacial streams. This unique environment imparts a distinctive flavour to the milk, which in turn gives Cascadia Creamery's cheese its own distinct character.

The process of crafting cheese from raw milk is an intricate one. After being sourced from the dairy, the raw milk is carefully handled to preserve its rich composition. It is then used in the cheesemaking process, where specific cultures and techniques are employed to transform it into a variety of cheeses. The result is a range of delicious, organic cheeses that showcase the unique terroir of the region.

The cheesemakers at Cascadia Creamery are dedicated to their craft, constantly experimenting with new techniques and recipes to create exceptional cheeses. Their commitment to using raw milk is a testament to their respect for tradition and their desire to create cheeses that are expressive of the land. The result is a range of cheeses that not only taste exceptional but also carry the story of their origin in every bite.

Cascadia Creamery's use of raw, unpasteurised milk sets them apart and contributes to the unique character of their cheeses. By embracing this traditional ingredient, they honour the ancient art of cheesemaking and showcase the natural goodness of milk in its purest form.

The cows graze on mineral-rich volcanic soil

The cows that provide the milk for Cascadia Creamery's cheese spend their days grazing on lush meadows in the shadow of Mt. Adams. The mineral-rich volcanic soil of the mountain, combined with the pristine glacial streams and aquifers of the nearby Gifford Pinchot National Forest, creates the perfect environment for producing high-quality raw milk.

The mineral-rich volcanic soil is a result of Mt. Adams' volcanic past. Volcanic soil is known for its high fertility due to its unique mineral composition, which includes essential nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. This nutrient-rich soil contributes to the distinct flavour of the cheese produced by Cascadia Creamery.

The cows' diet of mineral-rich vegetation nourishes their bodies and contributes to the quality of the milk they produce. The milk from these cows is raw and unpasteurised, preserving the good probiotic bacteria, enzymes, and vitamins naturally present. This results in a creamy texture and rich flavour that characterises old-world cheesemaking.

The combination of mineral-rich volcanic soil, pristine water sources, and ethical and humane animal husbandry practices ensures that the cows are healthy and well-fed, ultimately yielding the highest quality raw milk for Cascadia Creamery's cheese production. The result is a line of exceptional handcrafted organic cheeses that embody the unique flavours of the Cascadia region.

The cheese is certified organic

The cheese produced at Cascadia Creamery is certified organic. The Creamery is a family-run business located in the foothills of Mount Adams, in the small town of Trout Lake, Washington. The Creamery crafts cave-aged, raw, certified organic artisan cheeses. The cheese is aged in actual caves—specifically, lava tube caves, as Mount Adams is a volcano. The caves provide the perfect humidity and temperature for ageing cheese.

The Creamery was born out of a desire to develop a healthy relationship with the land and to revive a long history of artisan cheesemaking in the Trout Lake Valley. The mineral-rich glacial streams, volcanic soil, and ancient lava tube caves of the area give the cheeses a distinctive "Cascadia Terroir". The cheesemakers strive to go "beyond organic", putting careful thought into every aspect of their cheesemaking.

The cows that produce the milk for Cascadia Creamery's cheese graze on lush meadows fertilised by the volcanic soils of Mount Adams and drink water from pristine glacial streams. The fourth-generation family dairy that supplies the milk practices humane animal husbandry and has a strong ethical belief in being a steward of the land.

The four flagship cheeses produced by Cascadia Creamery are classics: Sleeping Beauty, Cloud Cap, Sawtooth, and Glacier Blue. The Creamery also occasionally makes other seasonal cheeses. Cloud Cap, for example, is classified as an aged, bloomy-rind cheese, similar to brie but aged for longer. Glacier Blue has been described as "a touch sweet with a little grassy joy in every bite".

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