About
We Provide Fresh Artisan Sheep Milk Cheese
Mountain Culture Creamery is a Montana artisan creamery crafting handcrafted sheep milk cheeses inspired by traditional cheesemaking cultures from around the world. Rooted in the Flathead Valley of Montana, our cheeses reflect a passion for craftsmanship, fermentation, cultural tradition, and the belief that food should connect people to place.
Our Story
The story of Mountain Culture Creamery began long before the creamery itself was founded in Montana.
Around 2009, while studying cultural geography and sustainable agriculture at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, I became fascinated by food systems, farming, and traditional food preservation. During that time, cheesemaking captured my attention as one of the world’s oldest preserved foods. A food shaped by culture, landscape, science, and time.
After moving to Montana’s Flathead Valley in 2013, I continued learning the craft through cheesemaking classes at Flathead Valley Community College. There, I met my friend and mentor, Sue Cummings, who helped deepen my understanding of both the science and artistry behind handcrafted cheese.
In 2017, I attended Sterling College’s artisan cheesemaking program in Vermont, taught in association with Jasper Hill Farm and led by internationally respected dairy consultant Ivan Larcher. The experience expanded my understanding of milk cultures, fermentation, aging, and the techniques that transform milk into completely different styles of cheese.
In 2023, I continued my education through the affinage program at Mons Academy in Roanne, France, where I learned the art of caring for and finishing cheese after production — understanding cheese not simply as a recipe, but as a living food that continues to evolve through time, environment, and careful handling.
Mountain Culture Creamery officially began in 2021, inspired in part by Montana’s food freedom movement and the belief that people should have greater access to handcrafted local food made with care and intention.
Today, the creamery reflects both Montana artisan food culture and a deep appreciation for traditional cheesemaking methods from around the world.
HANDCRAFTED SHEEP MILK CHEESE
Rooted in Tradition
Mountain Culture Creamery was named from a love of food culture and traditional cheesemaking styles from around the world. One of my favorite moments is when someone tastes a cheese and says, “This reminds me of something I had in another country.” That connection between flavor, memory, and culture is what inspires the creamery.
Our focus is especially on artisan sheep milk cheese because of the richness, texture, and depth of flavor that sheep milk naturally provides. Sheep milk is naturally high in butterfat and known for creating smooth, luxurious cheeses with exceptional character. It is also naturally A2/A2 dairy, which some people find easier to enjoy compared with other dairy sources. Through our partnership with the Woolridge Creamery family in South Dakota, we are helping bring handcrafted sheep milk cheese to customers who may not otherwise have access to this unique style of dairy.
For us, cheesemaking begins with only a few simple ingredients: milk, cultures, rennet, time, and care. Yet depending on how the curd is cut, stirred, washed, pressed, aged, and handled, the result can become something entirely different.
Cheese is alive. It is shaped by fermentation, technique, patience, and culture. Mountain Culture Creamery exists to honor that process through handcrafted Montana cheese inspired by traditions from around the world.