Kentucky's Original Sheep Milk Cheese

It takes a leap of faith for a person to take a buyout from their job, buy a farm and a few sheep, and plan to build a sheep dairy.  In fact it is the first sheep dairy in Kentucky.  But that is exactly what the Dotson family did in what they call a  “SPIRITUAL UNDERTAKING” because they were lead to do something different with their lives. 

Good Shepherd Cheese

With names like Versailles and Paris, Kentucky was bound to have a French influence in it’s farmstead cheeses.  The inspiration for Good Shepherd Cheese dates back for centuries in the Basque region of the Pyrenees mountains.
This unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese is one of the oldest cheeses known in recorded history. Records of these venerable cheeses go back as far as the first century B.C. in the Roman market town of Toulouse. It was made in the traditional manner by Shepherds, in stone huts, high in the mountains during the spring and summer when the sheep migrate to greener pastures, After the milk is processed the curds are heated, molded, lightly pressed, salted and aged in cool caves for a minimum of 90 days.
Known locally as the “Farmers Dessert” cheese, it is often served with black cherry jam or glazed figs.  We love our Good Shepherd Cheese drizzled with honey.

Terrior

Terrior (pronounced tear-WAHR) is another term becoming more and more popular these days.  In terms of cheese, terrior is how the French explain the influence of the land, the flora and the region combine to give each cheese it’s own distinctive taste. These factors contribute to the earthy, nutty, mushroomy flavors that are inherent in our Good Shepherd Cheese.
Our sheep graze on rolling hill pastures from April thru October that are full of native herbs, clover, Timothy and Orchardgrass.  In turn they produce a full bodied high fat milk that is perfect for making a high quality farmstead cheese.  Experience a true taste of Kentucky in each wedge of Good Shepherd Cheese.
Each wheel of our cheese is carefully hand crafted using old world techniques.  Aged a minimum of 60 days in a cave-like environment of 55 degrees & 85% humidity.

Good Shepherd Cheese is Featured in Kentucky Monthly Magazine

Good Shepherd Cheese online

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From Grass, to Milk, to Cheese 

 The East Friesian sheep graze on the natural grasses and flora of Bath County, Kentucky.  The sheep are then milked twice a day from April thru October.  Milking can become a chore but the Dotsons share the duties between Josh, Colleen & Sanford. The milk is collected and stored in a milk cooler until there is enough to make Good Shepherd Cheese.  The cheese making takes place 3 days a week with the handcrafted cheeses being aged in a cheese cave environment a minimum of 60 days.  The aging cheese wheels are cared for daily until they are aged to perfection.