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FeedMaking curd at the Beehive Cheese Company
Watching the cheese whizzes at work
There have been disappointments—chocolate chip-maraschino cherry cheddar comes to mind. But for the most part, the story of Beehive Cheese Company arcs like a parable: good intentions, hard work and optimism pay off.
From the time Tim Welsh, Pat Ford and Stew Christensen (who later left the company) decided to leave their lives as successful suits for futures in clogs and hairnets, they have tasted success. Not to mention countless pounds of Utah-milk cheddar.
Last year, their unconventional “Barely Buzzed” cheddar took a first-place gold medal at the American Cheese Society awards. They earned this prestigious award just two years after they made their first-ever cheese under the tutelage of Steve Larsen at Utah State University. Larsen also designed Beehive’s cheese factory, the dairy expert’s dream cheese facility.
Almost as exciting as the award was an order that came, minutes later, from Texas gourmet giant Central Market, for 4,000 pounds of Barely Buzzed. “We work in 400- to 500-pound batches,” says Welsh. “You do the math.”
“Barely Buzzed” gets its name from its unique coffee rub—a mixture of Turkish-grind Beehive Blend (especially roasted for Beehive Cheese by Colorado Legacy Coffee Company) mixed with French lavender buds. Then, it’s aged on Utah blue spruce aging racks.
Committed to artisanal scale and local sourcing, Welsh and Ford (they bought out Christensen) have plans for more specialty cheeses—a green tea-rubbed cheddar (suggested by their friend, Utah chef Adam Kreisel), as well as cheeses rubbed with molé and a Cajun spice blend.
“But we don’t want to be known just as makers of trick cheeses,” says Welsh. “First and foremost, we want to make excellent cheddar.” Go to beehivecheese.com for a list of retailers selling Beehive cheese. 2440 E 6600 South #8, Uintah, 801-476-0900, beehivecheese.com
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