Portia McKnight and Flo Hawley are co-owners of Chapel Hill Creamery, a small dairy farm and farmstead cheese-making facility in Chapel Hill, N.C. They raise a small herd of Jersey cows that provide 100 percent of the milk used in the production of a variety of special cheeses, including Asiago, Camembert, feta, mozzarella and others.
“We chose Jersey cows for their rich milk, which makes great cheese,” said Hawley.
“Our cows spend their time in the pasture, and we’ve established an intensive rotational grazing system to ensure that they’ll have access to high quality grass year-round.”
Chapel Hill Creamery (CHC) is growing its bovine cheese business with the help of the N.C. Value-Added Cost Share Program (NCVACS). Coordinated by N.C. MarketReady, NCVACS awarded equipment cost share funds to the creamery in the amount of $10,500, or half of the total cost, to upgrade and add specialized equipment. The creamery used the money to update a chiller on a pasteurizer (for enhanced food safety), add a freezer cube to a vehicle (for easier transportation) and put in new equipment to expand production of its Camembert cheese (“Carolina Moon”).
“The ‘Carolina Moon’ Camembert is one of our most popular cheeses,” said McKnight. “With the NCVACS funding, we have an opportunity to make even more cheese, introduce it to new people in new markets and really grow our business.”
(L-R) Flo Hawley and Portia McKnight are co-owners of Chapel Hill Creamery, a small dairy farm and farmstead cheese-making business that received a USDA-VAPG grant with assistance from NCVACS.
NCVACS also provided $23,500 to help the creamery apply for and secure a USDA Working Capital Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG). The NCVACS funds assisted the business in offsetting the costs of the VAPG planning and application process, such as those incurred by professional grant writers and feasibility study consultants.
Ultimately, Hawley and McKnight received $180,000 in USDA-VAPG funding, which will allow them to increase distribution for their cheeses, increase operating efficiencies in the cheese-making process and develop a branded marketing program for the creamery.
Currently, Chapel Hill Creamery offers a savory selection of cheeses, including:
- Carolina Moon – North Carolina version of Camembert, with a buttery and mushroom flavor and a creamy texture.
- New Moon – A semi-ripened version of Carolina Moon, available in a button size with a light coat of white mold and a refreshing lemon flavor.
- Fresh Mozz – This fresh mozzarella is softer and more delicate than “pizza cheese” mozzarella. Jersey milk gives it great texture, grass-fed cows give it a buttery color.
- Dairyland Farmers Cheese – A silky soft fresh cheese with a very clean, tangy flavor.
- Hickory Grove – Full flavored, natural rind Trappist-style cheese. Great with apples and pears, and an excellent slicing cheese.
- Calvander – Inspired by Asiago. Bursting with flavor, this cheese is aged at least 7 months and made with raw milk.
- Pheta – A milder feta than goat or sheep milk feta, and more colorful and flavorful since it’s made from cows’ milk.
The farmstead is located at 615 Chapel Hill Creamery Road in Chapel Hill. Cheeses are available through the Carrboro Farmers Market and Durham Farmers Market.
NCVACS is coordinated by N.C. MarketReady, the Cooperative Extension outreach of the N.C. State University Plants for Human Health Institute, located at the N.C. Research Campus. Funded by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the cost share program was launched in 2009 to encourage
more North Carolina producers to apply for federal funding and to generate more competitive applications.
For more information on Chapel Hill Creamery:
www.chapelhillcreamery.com
919-637-3757
Writer: Justin Moore
