Patiently aged cheddar

We measure milk using our own internal metrics, beginning with a healthy herd. The welfare of our animals comes first, since we depend on them for clean, quality milk. Tillamook dairy co-op members take a pledge to honor the natural milk production cycles of their animals. That means not using synthetics like rBST and supplying milk with low SCC (somatic cell count). You can measure the quality of our cheese against those commitments.

Our targeted high fat-to-protein ratio sets our cheddar apart. Our uniquely high levels of butterfat will dazzle your taste buds and deliver an unmistakable depth of flavor that you won't find in your average cheddar.

It’s an important distinction that few cheesemakers of our size can claim. The difference of just a few degrees allows the enzymes and natural flora retained in the milk to add their own singular flavors over time. Sometimes it’s not what you add, but what you leave behind, to do its thing.

We select our special blend of cultures and grow them on-site, at the Tillamook Creamery. When they’re combined with the always-changing seasonal flora naturally present in our quality milk, we detect the beginnings of the signature flavors and textures that will characterize each cheddar. Think of it as a Tillamook terroir.

Just as we heat the milk to the perfect temperature for the perfect length of time, we cool our cheddar blocks to the optimal temperature for slow fermentation and aging. Then we wait. Because the only way to get to ten years is ten years.