A New Face on the Vermont Cheese Trail
August 19, 2009

Along Vermont’s Cheese Trail, you’ll find a cheesemaker at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch. Plymouth Artisan Cheese was built by the father of President Calvin Coolidge, Colonel John Coolidge, James S. Brown and three other local farmers in 1890. The factory produced cheese from the milk produced on area farms and closed in 1934, but was reopened by the President’s son, John, in 1960.
The facility, owned by the State of Vermont, is now operated by Jesse Werner. A native Vermonter, Jesse graduated from Brandeis University; received a master of business administration degree in Prague in 2006; and attended the Vermont Institute of Artisanal Cheese at the University of Vermont in 2009.
I spoke to Jesse shortly before he set up shop in July 2009 (it was called the Plymouth Cheese Factory when he first opened): “Vermont is known for its high-quality, natural products, and we are committed to producing premium dairy products from the finest ingredients, using the best practices,” he said. “We’re looking forward to sharing our products and knowledge with the widest audience possible.”
Sounds like a plan.