Burlington, Vermont - American cheesemakers are an independent lot.  That's why we get so much variety from our more than two decades long explosion of artisan and specialty cheese production .  It's also one of the many challenges facing the establishment of successful new products and businesses in the precarious world of dairy farming and manufacturing. 

Coming to the rescue is the newly established Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese (VIAC), based at the ag-friendly University of Vermont.  This new resource is "dedicated to education, research, and Service."   Put plainly, they're here to help. 

If you're a cheesemaker, shopkeeper, chef, or any sort of food
professional with an interest in cheese, there is or will be a class or program for you that focuses on such issues as production, quality control, sensory evaluation, and food safety.  A comprehensive professional program will lead to a master artisan cheesemaker certificate.  Exchange programs are also being planned.  Add to this, research (they've nabbed a grant to help study the whole federal raw milk issue), service and outreach programs, and a first-rate facility with years of diverse experience, and you have some of the best American cheese making news in years . For info: (802) 656-8300 or e-mail jfarnham@uvm.edu.