Cheese Icons to Celebrate This Women’s History Month

Cheese Icons to Celebrate This Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month—the perfect excuse to stock up on cheese made by women! From creamery founders to cheesemongers, these trailblazers are shaping what we eat, sip, and savor. Support them by learning their names, tasting their creations, and sharing their stories.

Women Cheesemakers to Know

• Peggy Smith & Sue Conley – Co-founders, Cowgirl Creamery
• Giacomini Sisters – Co-owners, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.
• Judy Schad – Founder, Capriole Goat Cheese
• Allison Hooper – Co-founder, Vermont Creamery
• Laura Chenel – Founder, Laura Chenel
• Mary Keehn – Founder, Cypress Grove
• Molly Semler – Cheesemaker & co-owner, Von Trapp Farmstead
• Marieke Penterman – Founder, Marieke Gouda
• Sarah Hoffman & Eliza Spertus – Founder & farm manager, Green Dirt Farm
• Rachel Fritz Schaal – Co-owner, Parish Hill Creamery
• Amelia Sweethardt – Cheesemaker & owner, Pure Luck Farm and Dairy
• Rynn Caputo – Co-owner, Caputo Brothers Creamery
• Jessica Little – Co-owner, Sweet Grass Dairy
• Olga Dutra – Co-founder, Woolwich Goat Dairy
• Luisa Villegas – CEO, The Cheese Institute
• Sheila Flanagan & Lorraine Lambiase – Co-owners, Nettle Meadow
• Pat & Astrea Morford – Mother-daughter owners, Rivers Edge Chevre
• Leslie Cooperband – Founder & head cheesemaker, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery

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Women Cheesemongers to Watch

• Emilia D’Albero
• Anne Saxelby
• Kathleen Cotter – Owner & cheesemonger, The Bloomy Rind (TN)
• Sarah Arabian – Owner, The Rind (CA)
• Whitney Roberts

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How to Celebrate

• Buy cheese from women-led creameries and shops
• Ask your cheesemonger for recommendations by women producers
• Share their stories with friends and family
• Dive into their journeys—the cheese tastes better when you know the story

For more honorable mentions and deep dives:

• Saxelby Cheese: Five-Minute History of Women in Cheese
• Culture Cheese Mag: Celebrating Women in Cheese 2023
• Culture Cheese Mag: Women’s History Month Industry Trailblazers

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