Founded in 2012, the Trail is a nonprofit organization that links creameries, dairy farms, and supporting businesses across the region, inviting the public to taste, tour, and understand the value of locally made cheese. One stop on the trail is French Broad Creamery, where Robert Russell tends a herd of goats on his 50-acre Mount Gilead Farm in Leicester. When he bought the land in 2017, he brought just four goats with him. Through natural increase and a few purchases, his herd has a count of 60 this year. The farm itself had a legacy in dairy—originally a cow operation in the 1930s, later transitioning to beef during the dairy downturn of the 1980s. “Now, we brought it full circle to being a dairy again with goats,” Russell said.

Russell, who spent more than three decades in another profession before starting his cheesemaking journey, entered the industry with a vision of agritourism and education. “The mantra from the beginning of the farm was multiple income streams,” he said. “A lot of them are just kind of rivulets now instead of full blown streams, but they help out.” For a time, Airbnb rentals and guided farm tours sustained the operation while the herd matured.

In nearby Polk County, Looking Glass Creamery has carved out its own path. Founded in 2009 just outside Asheville, the creamery began by purchasing milk from local dairies. “As the business grew… the path we ended up on was to buy one of our milk suppliers,” said co-owner Jennifer Perkins. “We moved to the farm, built a new creamery, and started production here on the farm and then became what they call a ‘farmstead,’ meaning you’re using all your own milk from your own cows and making it into cheese on the same property.”

Today, Looking Glass milks about 20 cows at a time and produces approximately 2,000 pounds of cheese each month. Their portfolio includes both fresh and aged cheeses, all sold directly through their on-farm store and wholesale accounts. 

In 2024, Hurricane Helene upended operations for creameries across the region. “We had power out for eight days,” Perkins recalled. “We had to dump all of our milk because we could use the tractor to milk the cows, but we couldn’t keep the milk cold… It was a pretty significant hit to both our production, our sales, our visits to the store.” 

Russell saw even more delayed effects. “I was expecting to be milking 30 goats this year,” he said. “But because of hurricane stress, the goats were not receptive [during breeding]… I’m milking a dozen this year.”

Despite these hardships, the local cheese community has proven to be remarkably resilient. “The cheesemakers, for the most part, really look out for each other,” Russell said. “They understand that the other people making cheese are not so much competitors… but allies working together.”

That sense of collaboration is on full display each year at the Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest, a lively celebration of the region’s best cheeses, held at Oak & Grist Distillery in Black Mountain. Attendees can meet cheesemakers, watch demonstrations, sample small-batch products, and purchase cheeses that rarely make it to grocery shelves. Both French Broad Creamery and Looking Glass Creamery plan to be there this year on September 28. “It’s a successful day, both in terms of daily sales and the exposure that we get,” said Russell.

The region’s success isn’t accidental. Western North Carolina is well-positioned for a thriving artisan cheese industry, thanks to a rare confluence of beautiful landscape, strong agritourism, a robust local food culture, and access to markets. “There’s such a strong local food movement, such a strong network of farmers markets, and also the tourism element—people are coming here and that helps support it too,” said Perkins. 

The WNC Cheese Trail features eight independent cheesemakers, as well as a number of wineries, cideries, grocers, bottle shops and restaurants to round out a day trip. Learn more at WNCCheeseTrail.org.