Vermont Cheese Factories

The Beath cheese factory is now a residence at 4145 Moe Road at the corner with Hwy JJ. Tom Hefty lives there now. His father and grandfather both made cheese while the factory was operating. In 1940, Adam Hefty, Sr. received first prize on a block of American cheese sent to the State Fair in Milwaukee.

Elvers cheese factory was a mile down the road from the Anderson factory at 6109 Hwy J. The last cheese maker at Elvers still lives there! Delbert Rikli could tell lots of stories about making cheese at Elvers and at Pleasant Valley on Hwy F. The Elvers factory was the last factory in Vermont and closed October 1969. According to Delbert, after Vermont American Cheese Factory closed in 1966, their patrons brought milk to Elvers. Delbert then went to work for Zander Creamery in Cross Plains but stayed in the old cheese factory to live.

Pleasant Valley Cheese Factory at 4315 Hwy F, was quilt in the 1880's and originally called Keller factory. It burned in 1928, was rebuilt and renamed Pleasant Valley. Brick Limburger and American cheese were made there before closing in the 1960's. Along with Vermont and Elvers, Pleasant valley was one of the last cheese factories to operate in Vermont.


The Beath cheese factory is now a residence at 4145 Moe Road at the corner with Hwy JJ. Tom Hefty lives there now. His father and grandfather both made cheese while the factory was operating. In 1940, Adam Hefty, Sr. received first prize on a block of American cheese sent to the State Fair in Milwaukee.	The Gulson cheese factory, now as a residence at 4409 Blue Mounds Trail, was built in 1918. Being wedged against a hillside, when the foundation was dug the builders discovered a cave, which made an ideal cheese cellar. Jost Hoesli, a cheesemaker at Gulson factory , won a gold watch at an exposition in Chicago about 1930, for cheese that he made.

Elvers cheese factory was a mile down the road from the Anderson factory at 6109 Hwy J. The last cheese maker at Elvers still lives there! Delbert Rikli could tell lots of stories about making cheese at Elvers and at Pleasant Valley on Hwy F. The Elvers factory was the last factory in Vermont and closed October 1969. According to Delbert, after Vermont American Cheese Factory closed in 1966, their patrons brought milk to Elvers. Delbert then went to work for Zander Creamery in Cross Plains but stayed in the old cheese factory to live.	The Anderson cheese factory still stands and is located at 4012 JJ, directly across from the Town Hall. School children from Sandridge School (today's Town Hall) often walked over to the factory at noontime and chewed on warm, rubbery curd.

Pleasant Valley Cheese Factory at 4315 Hwy F, was quilt in the 1880's and originally called Keller factory. It burned in 1928, was rebuilt and renamed Pleasant Valley. Brick Limburger and American cheese were made there before closing in the 1960's. Along with Vermont and Elvers, Pleasant valley was one of the last cheese factories to operate in Vermont.	At the other end of the Greenwald Road at 9649, almost to Hwy 78 was the Greenwaldt factory. As was the policy at many small factories, patrons had to provide a certain number of loads of wood during the winter for fuel. In addition, patrons had to take turns hauling the finished cheese to Black Earth or Mount Horeb.

Spring Valley cheese factory is still located at 3502 Hwy JG as a residence.Also known as the Bohn factory, it's at the corner of Hwy JG and Bohn Road near Tyrol Basin. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1915 and rebuilt. In September of the same year the area was flooded when the dam at Mount Horeb broke. Then two years later in 1917 the factory burned again but on October 1, 1917 a special meeting was held and it was decided to rebuild. Spring Valley closed in February 1953.	Oak Hill cheese factory is a residence on the corner of Hwy 78 and 5240 Hwy J at the top of Beatty Hill. Built around 1918, this factory was also known as Nace factory after the owners of the adjacent farm. Oak Hill closed in 1945-46.

Ryan cheese factory was built in 1916 and operated for only about ten years. Its location is about halfway up Ryan Road on land currently owned by the Anderson's.	Mickelson cheese factory is now a residence at 5598 Hwy J, near the corner of Greenwald Road. The factory operated seasonally until about 1935. It was shut down during the winter because there was so little milk produced.