In restaurants and boutique food shops around the country, Sweet Grass Dairy cheeses are a lauded feature on menus and shelves. With five staple products, as well as seasonal items, the cheeses represent a variety of styles and flavors. Two of the cheeses (Green Hill and Lil' Moo) have won highly competitive American Cheese Society Awards.
But the real success for Sweet Grass Dairy is not in its accolades or esteem, its in their commitment to sustainability and their diligent pursuit of good food from ethical sources. In 2010, Sweet Grass opened their first iteration of a restaurant in Thomasville, Georgia, where the cheese plant is also located. The restaurant was closed not long after launching, and in its place they developed the Cheese Shop, a market of artisanal goods — and most notably, their line of cheeses. When the restaurant re-opened in the Cheese Shop four years later, it was with a clearer vision and refocused passion.
Now Sweet Grass Dairy continues to evolve as it remains a centerpiece in the quaint town of Thomasville, as well as a beacon in the world of artisanal food at large. We talked with Jeremy Little who owns Sweet Grass with his wife, Jessica, about what growth looks like for them.
How did Sweet Grass Dairy get its start?
Sweet Grass Dairy started in 2000 by Desiree and Al Wehner, my wife Jessica's parents. They had been dairy farming unconventionally for just shy of 20 years, producing milk that was higher in quality as well as utilizing a method of dairy farming that was better for the earth, and the animals, but were not able to show anyone that their methods yielded a better milk. They set out to show people their efforts produced a very high quality milk, so they looked for a way to show people through food. Cheese ended up being the right balance or art and science, and continues to be our primary vehicle for our mission, which is to educate and inspire people on the true origins of their foods.
How did the experience with the previous restaurant in the Cheese Shop's space influence what you hope to accomplish now?
To say that was a learning experience would be horribly incorrect. It was one of the worst time's in my life, but it taught me a great deal about a lot of things. We got distracted from our initial vision, made a bunch of mistakes, and ended up doing the exact thing we started out to do. Our original plan was to do the exact thing we are today — simple food, with great service using "storied" ingredients. The influence was the importance of having a clear vision and sticking to it.
What do you hope the Cheese Shop contributes to the Thomasville community? What do you hope it offers to visitors?
The Cheese Shop is our local vehicle for our mission — to educate and inspire people through food. Our brand and our cheeses offer that on a larger platform, and it has allowed us to frame it for our local community through the Cheese Shop. I hope it provides a reprieve to local and visitors alike from the craziness of their day to day and enjoy themselves.
What's the greatest challenge of making cheese sustainably?
The milk supply. Most people do not really think about where there food comes from, other than from the "store." It's part of our mission to change that perspective. Its incredibly intense to sustain a farm that used a rotational grazing method. You are always a few days from running out of food for the cows if the pastures are not properly managed. That's an incredibly stressful situation, and really challenging to do well.
What's the biggest reward?
Feeling like you are making a difference with your actions.
How do you hope the restaurant showcases your products?
I hope it better connects people to where their food comes from. The more people know about the origins of their food, the better educated they will be to make good food choices. In a world where products are marketed with such a plethora of buzz-words and tag-lines, its hard to know what the truth really is.
How do you envision Sweet Grass, as a whole, continuing to grow?
Our mission challenges us to be better on a daily basis. We continue to get better at what we do each day, so my hope is that we'll see the fruits of our labor in all we do — both internally and externally — as a business. My hope would be to provide better opportunities for our team members, as well as better products for our consumers.
What's your favorite thing to eat at the restaurant?
I like to try new things, so my favorite is the next new thing we are working on.
What about your favorite Sweet Grass product?
It's my job to be critical of our products. I am in constant pursuit of how to make our cheeses better, so I would say I have favorite things about each of the cheeses as time passes. Right now, the flavor and texture of our Georgia Gouda is really nice, and I love how the Green Hill's texture is showing as it matures/ripens. We are still working on all of them, and probably always will.
What's your day-to-day work like?
Unpredictable. I take our kids to school in the morning, and try to catch up with Jessica for a few minutes. After that, its really just a matter of catching up with our team. I make the rounds, see whats happening, and do what I can to keep us moving forward.
What's next for Sweet Grass Dairy?
We are in the process of expanding our facility, with a few new product thoughts on the horizon. The new facility will allows us to be more consistent in our product offerings, as well as give us more opportunity to develop new products.
Where are your products available?
Our products are available nearly nationwide in select markets and cheese shops. If not readily available locally, you can always order directly from our website. We just launched a new website, so please check it out.
Story & photographs by Jodi Cash