At Smith’s Country Cheese, old fashioned family traditions and hard work are combined to produce delicious Farmstead Cheeses.
In 2013, approaching retirement age and wanting to see Smith’s continue as a family-operated farm and creamery, David and Carol Smith began looking for a new owner to take over.
One week before their first child, Samantha, was born, Jake and Allie Catlin learned that the Smith family was looking to sell their dairy and creamery to a couple who wanted to keep it an operating farm. Something just felt right…
David Smith received a phone call that night from two perfect strangers: very excited and very inexperienced “farmers” interested in buying the farm.
Well, the rest is history…The Smiths taught the Catlins how to make cheese and care for the cows on weekends for over a year before the sale was official. Together with Jake’s brother Mike and wife Leah, their family has grown by 200 Holsteins, 43 acres, and more wheels of cheese than a connoisseur can dream of. It’s hard work but it’s meaningful work-Jake and Allie are thankful every day that they made that phone call.
Right Image: Allie & Jake Catlin with their kids. Left Image: Leah & Mike Catlin with their kids.
History of Smith’s Country Cheese:
The original owner David Smith started farming in Winchendon in 1969. He lived in the barn until he married his wife, Carol, in 1971, at which time they built a home on the farm where they would raise their three children. By 1985, the Smiths’ herd had grown to 220 milkers.
As the price of milk continued to fluctuate unpredictably, David looked into options to gain more control over the price he was receiving for milk. He joined a pilot program at the University of Minnesota teaching farmers how to make their own farmstead Gouda cheese. He purchased his first set of stainless steel cheese making equipment from a dairy farm in Minnesota and drove it back to the farm in a UHaul truck (including the precious Gouda recipe that is still used today). He took a cheese making course in Canada, and officially opened Smith’s Country Cheese in a newly-built creamery and gift shop in 1985.
David has always been committed to making quality farmstead cheeses has been a mentor to countless farmstead cheesemakers around New England.
The Catlins are committed to providing the best care for their cows, making quality cheeses , and taking care of the land. They are proud to carry on the tradition of Smith’s Country Cheese.