Date Of Visit: August 6, 2017
Location: 400 Linden Street, Brattleboro, VT
Hours: Open daily, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Parking: There are about 15-20 parking spaces in the lot in front of the store
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Highlights: a store that sells hand made cheese on site as well as an assortment of other snacks, household items and novelty items
Website: Grafton Village
Tips:
- It gets very busy, especially during the summer and fall. So, you may have to park across the street (the road can be very busy so use caution) or on the side of the road in front of the store
- Retreat Farm, a family friendly farm, with animals and a short trail is located next to the Grafton Village Cheese Co
Vermont is known for more than just maple syrup, Ben and Jerry’s and its lakes. Tucked away along the mountains and lakes of Vermont stands one of the oldest cheese making companies in Vermont, the Grafton Village Cheese Company.
The original store, called the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company, was founded in 1892 by dairy farmers who gathered together in a cooperative to make their surplus raw milk into cheese. Before we had refrigeration, many of the cooperatives in the area would turn the abundant creamy milk into food that could be stored for longer period of times. They’ve come along way from these beginnings. As technology progressed, so did the Cooperative.
Unfortunately, the original cooperative burned down in 1912. But, a non profit organization restored the company in the 1960’s and they have been a mainstay in the area ever since.
But, don’t let their name fool you. Grafton Village Cheese also sells a variety of spreads, snacks, tea and other
Walking through the store, I was reminded of the general stores that used to seem to be around every corner when I vacationed with my family as a child. The barn-like wooden structure and
I love the rustic feel of the store and the area.
They have a wide selection of cheeses, chocolates, salsas and spreads. And, if you’re lucky, you might be able to taste test samples of the various jams, salsas and other jellies and spreads.
The store also supports the community with environmental, educational and philanthropic efforts. You’ll find the donation boxes along the checkout counter. There is also a farm next to the store that I will cover in my next blog post.
The staff at the Grafton Village Cheese Company are super friendly. They posed for me with their signature product.
The video below shows how they hand make the cheese at the store.
New England Nomad 
August 22nd, 2017 at 1:08 pm
A Cheese Park? Yes, please!
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August 22nd, 2017 at 5:15 pm
Sounds like fun to me too! Thank you galby!
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August 23rd, 2017 at 12:34 am
I miss the handmade cheese. My dad used to haul milk from the farms to the cheese factory (Tillamook Cheese) and while the cans (yeah, long time ago) were being washed and returned, we would go into the factory and talk to the cheese makers. He later became one of those cheese makers. I used to get a bag of the curds to eat on the way home. It is all automated and behind glass now. Thanks, good to hear there are some still making real cheese.
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August 23rd, 2017 at 2:36 am
That is a really cool story. It’s amazing how the times and process has changed. I am glad, though, that some places like Grafton Village still make their cheese the old fashioned way. It’s no easy task. But it’s worth it in the end. Thank you for sharing!
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