Meet the Maker: Couët Farm and Fromagerie

Recently we took a very pleasant local trip to Couët (pronounced Coo- eh pronounced as the e in bet) Farm and Fromagerie in Dudley Massachusetts where we were treated to a tour of the Cheese Room and The Cave by the cheese maker herself, Marie-Laure Couët.

Marie-Laure's passion for her cheesemaking was evident in the way she described this part scientific, part artistic endeavor.  She explained that every cheese has the same four basic ingredients: milk, culture (microorganisms), rennet (enzyme from calf's stomach), and salt.  And then depending on the type of milk used and what the cheese maker adds in addition to this basic recipe plus the aging process is what makes up all the varieties of fresh & aged cheese.  Although, Marie-Laure says the real mystery is in the microbes, because it is the microbes (bacteria and mold) that determine the ultimate flavor and texture of the cheese. Cheesemaking is a complicated process with many different variables putting the making of cheese into its own form of art. 

Currently at Couët Farm, Marie-Laure makes four different cheese recipes using cow's and sheep's milk; each cheese is named after one of Marie-Laure's four Polish and French great-grandmothers.  You'll find a beautiful description of the cheeses and the maker's connection to her sense of heritage on her website. 

Marie-Laure decided to become a cheesemaker and farmer in the Winter of 2010.   She had worked at a number of different dairy farms and one day, while mucking out a goat barn she experienced a true sense of peace and tranquility. At that moment she realized that farming was what she had to do.  A lover of cheese, she made the decision to become both a cheesemaker and a farmer. In the spring of 2010 she left for Europe and over the next three years apprenticed with cheesemakers, dairy farmers and a world-renowned affineur (one who ages cheese) learning the art and business of cheesemaking in France, Spain and Italy.

After returning to the US, she and her husband acquired the beautiful 23-acre farm property in Dudley, Massachusetts and began the process of modifying the farm for their needs. The year 2014 was all about renovating the hay barn on the farm into a pristine cheese room and carefully climate controlled cave for aging their cheese and 2015 is their first year of cheese production. It takes about two years to perfect a cheese recipe and so Marie-Laure says, "Be prepared to taste our new cheeses through all their iterations!"

For a list of where you can purchase Couët Farm Cheeses, click here or EVEN BETTER . . . .