Beecher's Handmade Cheese

Infobox Company
name = Beecher's Handmade Cheese

type = Private company
foundation = 2003
founder =
location_city = Seattle, Washington
location_country = United States of America
industry = Cheese
owner = Kurt Beecher Dammeier
homepage = [http://beechershandmadecheese.com beechershandmadecheese.com]

Beecher's Handmade Cheese is an artisan cheesemaker and retail shop based in the Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., with a second cheese-making center in South Seattle. The company was founded by Kurt Beecher Dammeier in 2003, and was opened in the Pike Place Market after Dammeier obtainined a rare open storefront lease. Because Dammeier had never been a cheesemaker, he sought out the assistance of Brad Sinko, who helped run a family cheese making business in Oregon.

Unlike most artisan cheese makers, Beecher's mainly uses pasteurized milk and operates a high-volume modern production facility, with multiple farms supplying milk. When Beecher's encountered problems in guaranteeing the standard flavor of the milks they were using to make cheese, the company bought their own herds of dairy cattle and farms to ensure control of the cheese products from beginning to end. Beecher's uses various cheese cultures when mixing cheeses, so a cheddar cheese produced by Beecher's may use cultures not normally intended for cheddar cheese production.

Beecher's Pike Place Market location includes a retail shop, and sells both Beecher's cheeses and others brands from local Pacific Northwest cheesemakers. Beecher's also manufactures and sells macaroni and cheese dishes, which have received praise in reviews from the national news media. Dammeier and his firm's cheeses have been featured on national television, including "The Martha Stewart Show". A cookbook by Dammeier, "Pure Flavor: 125 Fresh All-American Recipes From The Pacific Northwest", has been published, and incorporates recipes used to make various Beecher's products and dishes. In addition to their various business endeavors, Beecher's sponsors Pure Food Kids, an educational program to teach children in the Seattle public schools system about healthy diets.

Founding and history

Prior to founding Beecher's, Dammeier had never made cheese, and had little direct knowledge of the cheese making business.cite news | first=Judith | last=Blake | title=Artisan cheese factory opens at Pike Place Market | date=2003-11-26 | publisher=Seattle Times | url =http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2001800930_cheese26.html | accessdate = 2008-08-30] His self-described "passion" for cheese began during his childhood in Tacoma, Washington, where his family always kept a cheese board piled high with local cheeses. [Dammeier, p. 11.] Raised in a family business involving printing and food manufacturing, he decided to open a cheese business after his family sold the printing company. He named it for his great-grandfather, Beecher McKenzie. Dammeier also owns the Seattle-based food services vendor Pasta & Co., and he is a major investor in Pyramid Breweries, Inc.; other members of his family have stakes in Pyramid as well. Dammeier also founded Bennett's Pure Food Bistro on nearby Mercer Island, which carries many dishes prepared with Beecher's.cite news | first=Kriston | last=Dizon | title=A purebred bistro on Mercer Island | date=2007-05-25 | publisher=Seattle PI | url =http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/317075_rest25.html | accessdate = 2008-09-13] In 2003, Dammeier opened Beecher's in Seattle's Pike Place Market when a rare large retail location became available in the market after the nursery Molbak's closed its Market location and moved to its current Woodinville, Washington property.cite news | first=Janet | last=Fletcher| title=Cheddar-like Flagship has a sweet side | date=2006-09-08 | publisher=San Francisco Chronicle | url =http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2006/09/08/WIGVNKVR7C1.DTL | accessdate = 2008-09-07] [Dammeier, p. 13.] cite news | first=Kathy | last=Mulady | title=Molbak's selling store at Pike Place Market | date=2002-03-27 | publisher=Seattle Post Intelligencer | url =http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/63975_molbak27.shtml | accessdate = 2008-10-02]

After taking a cheese making course at Washington State University, Dammeier decided he needed to hire someone to work with him as chief cheesemaker. He hired Brad Sinko, a microbiologist, who previously had managed his family cheese business of Bandon Cheese in Oregon, before it was acquired by the Tillamook County Creamery Association. According to Dammeier, the artisanal cheese market was underrepresented in Seattle and Washington, and he opened his business in part to encourage more cheese business to grow in the region. In 2000, Washington had nine licensed cheesemakers; this expanded to twenty-eight by 2007. Dammeier compared the growth he expects in artisan cheese to the United States' recent growth in sales of specialty beers:

"If you said the word 'Porter' 20 years ago, no one in the U.S. would have had any idea you were talking about beer. Twenty years from now, people will know what a washed rind is."cite news | first=Peter | last=Robison | title=Seattle's Latte, Ale Give Way to a New Favorite: Native Cheeses | date=2006-03-10 | publisher=Bloomberg | url =http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aEjBh2Af2u3A&refer=us | accessdate = 2008-09-14]

Thanks to financing from Dammeier's other business ventures, Beecher's had the ability to build up their operations slowly, absorbing the costs of capitalization of the business while experimenting with their cheeses, including the time to age them. "The first vat," remarked Dammeier, "we threw away. The second vat was really good." As their work progressed Sinko would adjust the formulas of their cheese processing, the cultures, and the enzymes involved, and increased the average aging time for their Flagship brand to 18 months. However, they only publicly claim 12 months of aging. In their first year of operation, Beecher's had no aged product of their own to sell, instead building up an inventory of convert|80000|lb|kg of cheese. During that same time, their primary sales were of fresh cheese curds.

Milk supplies

After their initial founding with one milk supplier, Beecher's production system has had to expand several times to include more suppliers. As of 2006, Beecher's was in the process of purchasing their own farms in Eastern Washington for additional milk production, which will also give them full control over their entire product's creation. The principal milk supplier is Green Acres Farm in Duvall, Washington, using only hormone-free and antibiotic-free milk. When consistent milk production first became a problem, Beecher's purchased a herd of 200 cows. [Dammeier, p. 8.] The entire dairy herd at Green Acres Farm is owned by Beecher's, who leases them back to the farm.cite news | first=Ronald | last=Holden | title=What A Friend Wine Has In Cheeses | date=May-June 2008 | publisher=Northwest Magazine | url =http://beechershandmadecheese.com/docs/NWMag_Holden_0608.pdf |accessdate = 2008-09-14]

To ensure a standardized flavor for the finished cheeses, and due to there being insufficient space in their facilities for milk separating systems, Sinko said he "went and standardized the herd." Their initial milk from Holstein cows was sweet, but lacked the fatty content and nuttiness of Jersey cow milk that was part of the product they wanted to create. They were able to eventually balance the two to their satisfaction. Dammeier has described the blend of Holstein and Jersey milk as a "50–50 mix". From each farm, all the milk supplied to Beecher's is from the same herd, to ensure that the flavor of each batch of milk they receive is consistent (based on the herd's diet and environment).

At times, Beecher's has encountered challenges in maintaining this uniform standard. For example, when flooding affected one farm, the cows there produced enzymes in their milk that helped their calves to fight off bacteria, but changed the flavor of the milk.

Cheese and food manufacturing

The cheese factory is housed in a small, glass-walled facility in Seattle's Pike Place Market, on Pike Place between Stewart Street and Pine Street. The location includes a retail shop and a café that features cheese-based meals. Passers-by in the heavily touristed market can watch the cheese making process. Beecher's produces over convert|500000|lb|kg pounds of cheese annually. Their manufacturing facility now operates twenty-four hours a day to keep up with their demand.

Sinko admits that the modern facility with large vats of cheese and milk processing would seem to contradict the word "Handmade" in the company name. According to him, all of the cheese is monitored, processed, and prepared by hand, but simply on a larger scale than most artisanal cheesemakers. Unlike most artisan cheeses, Beecher's is made largely with pasteurized milk. Dammeier believes that many people feel raw milk cheeses taste better due to renowned French cheeses, which were historically made of raw milk because the farms were unable to afford pasteurization. "I've probably tasted 150 different cheeses this year, and I'm convinced that raw milk doesn't create more flavor," he said, adding that his cheeses have a more consistent taste from not using raw milk. Nevertheless, Beecher's offers a raw milk version of their Flagship cheese. The cheeses they produce use no artificial ingredients or preservatives. Beecher's typically manufactures up to nine different varieties of cheeses each year, including a combination of their staple brands and various seasonal varieties.

At the Beecher's facility, their process for cheese manufacturing is multi-staged. Thousands of gallons of milk are hose-fed from delivery trucks into the manufacturing area, where it is heated to complete the pasteurization of the milk.cite news | first=Brad | last=Hole | title=Just Say Cheese | date=2008-03-17 | publisher=Seattle Weekly | url =http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2008/03/just_say_cheese.php| accessdate = 2008-09-13] The heated milk is processed into a stainless steel trough, and the temperature further increased, while the first live cheese cultures and rennet, a coagulant, are added to the developing mixture. According to Amir Rosenblatt, a cheesemaker at Beecher's, the heating and cheese temperatures used in their cooking process are tightly controlled. "A variation of half a degree [in the pasteurization process] can change the flavor of the cheese," he said. Cheesemakers use stainless steel "rakes" to then gather the milk mixture, before allowing it to settle briefly, at which point the cheese is cut repeatedly by hand until it achieves a yogurt-like texture and substance. This process is repeated often, until a desired consistency is reached. The mixture is then drawn away to a new trough where most of the remaining water and whey is drained from the cheese. While the whey is continually pulled from the cheese, cheesemakers constantly separate the cheese by hand into smaller and small stacks of cheese curds, which form as the whey is removed. To complete the curding, a large amount of salt is added to cure the cheese and draw still more whey from it. The curds are finally cut into portions, filled into cheese molds, stacked on top of each other, and the remaining excess moisture is forced from the cheese with a constant convert|60|lb|kg of pressure for at least 24 hours, before the finished cheese is stored to age. For every convert|10|lb|kg of milk and whey, Beecher's will typically create convert|1|lb|kg of finished cheese.

Beecher's cheeses differ from similar cheeses in that they mix cheese growth cultures in unusual ways. For example, their signature "Flagship" cheese includes cultures typically used for non-cheddar cheeses, such as Gruyère and Emmental, changing the nature, flavor, and texture of their cheddar. Flagship cheese is produced using a | url =http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-great-american-cheese-plate | accessdate = 2008-09-13] Of the convert|500000|lb|kg of cheese they produce annually, approximately convert|200000|lb|kg will be Flagship, and only convert|15000|lb|kg will be Flagship Reserve.

As of 2006, a second cheese making center was opened in South Seattle. This second location includes a cheese aging facility.cite news | first=Jeremey | last=Konick | title=Beecher's cuts the cheese | date=2006-11-17 | publisher=The Daily of the University of Washington | url =http://dailyuw.com/2006/11/17/beechers-cuts-the-cheese/ | accessdate = 2008-09-13] Additionally, Beecher's is in the process of developing new types of crackers, designed to not overpower the taste of the cheese with which they are paired.

Retail sales and cheese shop

Beecher's features a gourmet cheese shop and café in their Pike Place Market facility. It is considered an anchor of the Pike Place Market, and has become a tourist attraction in its own right.cite news | first=Rebekah | last=Denn | title=In 4 years, Beecher's has grown from a little curd to a big-time prize winner | date=2007-09-05 | publisher=Seattle PI | url =http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/330259_beechers05.html |accessdate = 2008-09-13] During the day, crowds typically gather in the store, watching through windows as the cheesemakers prepare batches of cheese.cite news | first=Naomi | last=Bishop | title=Washington's Artisan Cheese Scene | publisher=Seattle.net | url =http://www.seattle.net/entertainment/restaurants/restuarantreviews/washington_cheese/ | accessdate = 2008-09-14]

A portion of the cheese curds used in the manufacturing process is set aside to sell directly to visitors at the retail store. The principal cheeses created and sold by Beecher's are their Flagship and Flagship Reserve varieties; "Just Jack", a form of Monterey Jack cheese; "Blank Slate", a type of cream cheese; unpasteurized, raw-milk versions of their Flagship cheeses, and various cheeses seasoned and flavored with spices and herbs.cite news | first=Paul | last=Clarke | title=The Wonderful World of Artisan Cheese | date=August 2008 | publisher=Alaska Airlines Magazine | url =http://beechershandmadecheese.com/docs/AlaskaAir_0808.pdf | format=PDF|accessdate = 2008-09-14] Some of their seasonal varieties have included cheeses similar to Brie.

The Pike Place Market store now sells roughly thirty-five other local artisan cheese brands, in addition to the various Beecher's products. The Pike Place Market location also offers classes to the public about cheese making, cheese history, and the pairing of wine with cheese. The collection of Pacific Northwest cheeses on sale at the retail store has been described as the best in the entire region by Will O'Donnell in "Northwest Magazine".cite news | first=Will | last=O'Donnell | title=A Northwest Cheese Tour | date=May-June 2008 | publisher=Northwest Magazine | url =http://beechershandmadecheese.com/docs/NWMag_ODonnell_0608.pdf | accessdate = 2008-09-14] In keeping with Dammeier's idea that his cheese business should encourage the growth of the artisan cheese businesses in the area, the Beecher's retail store makes special efforts to feature and sell cheeses from new and small Northwest cheesemakers.

Beecher's are sold in retail stores beyond the Seattle area, including locations in San Francisco and in New York City at well-known artisanal cheese vendors such as the shops of Murray Klein and the international Artisanal Cheese retail company.

Macaroni and cheese

Beecher's retail shop in the Pike Place Market sells over 17,000 orders of Dammeier's macaroni and cheese dish annually. [Dammeier, p. 71.] The recipe is featured in a 2007 cookbook, "Pure Flavor: 125 Fresh All-American Recipes From The Pacific Northwest", which Dammeier wrote with Laura Holmes Haddad. Both "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" gave it reviews described as "rave", according to MSNBC news.cite news | first=Cynthia | last=Nims | title=Melty mac and cheese grows up, goes gourmet | date=2006-10-24 | publisher=MSNBC | url =http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15292665/ |accessdate = 2008-09-07] Dammeier says the key to the success of their macaroni and cheese is to undercook the pasta by half, so that it softens from cheese sauces in baking with a béchamel sauce. The recipe, named simply "World's Best Mac & Cheese", has been prepared by Dammeier during guest appearances on several television programs. On August 19, 2008, Beecher's facility and cheese was featured on "The Martha Stewart Show", and Dammeier prepared his macaroni and cheese dish with Stewart on the program.cite video | first=Martha | last=Stewart | title=The Martha Stewart Show | date=2008-08-19 | publisher=The Martha Stewart Show | url =http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.79cd0d4bac77d1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=e3b38d8fcb987110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=showmain_tv_the-martha-stewar-show&lnc=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD | accessdate = 2008-09-13]

Awards and recognition

In 2007, Beecher's was the winner of the American Cheese Society awards for their cheddar cheese.cite news | first=Karen | last=Gaudette|title=No whey! Beecher's scores again | date=2007-11-01 | publisher=Seattle Times | url =http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20071121&slug=foodbriefs21 | accessdate = 2008-08-27] At the World Cheese Awards in 2007, Beecher's "Marco Polo" cheese won a gold medal, and at the American Cheesemaker Awards in Newport Beach, California, they took first place, also in 2007. Beecher's also came in as the runner up for Best In Show at the 2007 World Cheese Society competition, in a field of 1,207 competitors.cite news | first=Rebekah | last=Denn | title=The Big Cheese(s). Which are 2008's best? | date=2008-07-29 | publisher=Seattle PI | url =http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/devouringseattle/archives/144704.asp | accessdate = 2008-09-13] Beecher's again won a top award from the American Cheese Society for their Marco Polo cheese in 2008.cite news | first=Rebekah | last=Denn | title=On Food: Washington cheeses rise to the top in national competition | date=2008-08-12 | publisher=Seattle PI | url =http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/374696_denn13.html | accessdate = 2008-09-07] According to Laura Werlin, author of "The New American Cheese: Profiles of America's Great Cheesemakers", their Flagship cheese is "everything a cheddar should be - and more."cite news | first=Mary | last=James | title=The milky way: a galaxy of great cheeses | date=2007-12-29 | publisher=The Paramus Post | url =http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20071226070928920 | accessdate = 2008-09-13]

Pure Food Kids

Beecher's and Dammeier also fund and develop "Pure Food Kids: A Recipe for Healthy Eating", an outreach and educational program for elementary and middle-school children in the Seattle Public Schools, with the goal of teaching children about healthy foods and eating habits.cite news | first=Eileen | last=Mintz | title='Tastemaker' cooks up Pure Flavor | date=2007-08-09 | publisher=Mercer Island Reporter | url =http://www.mi-reporter.com/articles/2007/08/09/lifestyle/0808food.txt | accessdate = 2008-09-13] The program was initially developed by Dammeier and his wife Leslie, after they learned about and were unhappy with the state of school cafeteria meals in Seattle, where their three children attended public school. [Dammeier, p. 8.] Established in 2005, 1% of the total sales for Beecher's and Dammeier's other business, Bennet's Pure Food, are used to fund the Pure Food Kids program.cite news | first=Amy | last=Pennington | title=Bennet's on Mercer Island | date=October 2007 | publisher=Conscious Choice | url =http://seattle.consciouschoice.com/2007/10/localfood0710.html | 2008-09-24] The Pure Food Kids program is staffed by trained volunteers, including Dammeier himself.

Fourth through sixth grade elementary school children are educated on the effects of food additives, eating healthy foods, reading food labels, and about marketing of food aimed at children. According to Chip Wood, co-founder of the Northeast Foundation for Children, fourth through sixth grade children will typically be between the ages of 9 and 12 years old. cite web|url=http://yardsticks.typepad.com/about.html |title=Chip Wood |accessdate=2008-10-06 |last=Wood |first=Chip |publisher=Chip Wood |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080201002654/http://yardsticks.typepad.com/about.html |archivedate=2008-02-01 ] cite web|url=http://www.yardsticks4-14.com/2008/02/your-children-5.html |title=Your Children in Fourth Grade |accessdate=2008-10-06 |last=Wood |first=Chip |work=Yardsticks |publisher=Chip Wood ] cite web|url=http://www.yardsticks4-14.com/2008/03/your-child-in-s.html |title=Your Children in Sixth Grade |accessdate=2008-10-06 |last=Wood |first=Chip |work=Yardsticks |publisher=Chip Wood ] The program is provided to no cost to the children and their families. To date, 3,500 children have participated in the educational program.cite news | title=Field Trip School Assembly & Homeschooling Programs | date=2008-07-25 | publisher=Seattle's Child Magazine | url =http://www.seattleschild.com/article/20080725/SCM20/661789352/-1/scm20 | accessdate = 2008-09-24] Pure Food Kids is taught in classrooms, after-school events, and at Parent-Teacher Association events, with all supplies and materials provided by Beecher's, although there is explicitly no promotion or use of any products from any of Dammeier's businesses.cite news | first=Alison | last=Leber | title=PCC 2006 Annual Membership Meeting | date=2006-05-02 | publisher=PCC Natural Markets | url =http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/member/mtgs/2006_05_speakers.html |accessdate = 2008-09-24] cite web|url=http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/flagship_overview.php |title=Beecher's Cheese: Flagship Program |accessdate=2008-09-24 |publisher=Beecher's Handmade Cheese |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070222060338/http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/flagship_overview.php |archivedate=2007-02-22]

ee also

* Cougar Gold cheese

References

ources

*cite book | last = Kurt Beecher | first = Dammeier | authorlink = Kurt Beecher Dammeier | coauthors = Laura Holmes Haddad | title = Pure Flavor: 125 Fresh All-American Recipes from the Pacific Northwest | publisher = Clarkson Potter | date = 2007-07-31 | isbn = 978-0307346421

External links

* [http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/ Beecher's Handmade Cheese official site]