Since its founding in Port Washington, Wisconsin – just a stone’s throw from Lake Michigan – in 2020, Blakesville Creamery has quickly established itself as one of America’s most award-winning new cheesemakers. Blakesville is a farmstead creamery, meaning that from the raising of the animals to the milking to the cheesemaking, the entire process happens on one farm. Blakesville is producing some of the finest goat cheeses made in America today, and they’re shipping nationwide at iGourmet. View the collection
The Blakesville Creamery Story
When Lynde Uihlein – a longtime advocate for thoughtful land use and environmental protection in southeast Wisconsin – was presented in 2012 with the opportunity to purchase her neighbor’s family farm, which had raised dairy cows for three generations, she bought it with the goal of turning it into a sustainable goat dairy farm with a scaled model that could be viable for years to come. It took six years to convert the facility from cows to goats and grow the herd, and then the team turned their attention toward building out a state-of-the-art, $4 million cheesemaking facility. They brought in accomplished cheesemaker Veronica Pedraza to head the cheesemaking program, and in 2020 the first cheeses emerged from the new 10,000 square foot creamery.
Blakesville Creamery Awards & Accolades
- Linedeline: 1st Place at the 2023 American Cheese Society Awards, Silver Medal at 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest.
- Shabby Shoe: 1st Place in Goat’s Milk Cheese Aged 31 to 60 Days at the 2023 ACS Awards.
- St. Germain: 1st Place at 2022 & 2023 ACS Awards, Gold Medal at 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest.
- Afterglow: 2023 United States Championship Cheese Contest Best in Class Winner.
- Sunny Ridge: 2nd Place at the 2023 ACS Awards.
Explore Blakesville’s Cheeses
Many of Blakesville Creamery’s award-winning goat cheeses can be found at top restaurants, cheese shops, and specialty stores throughout the country.
This fresh and creamy Fresh Chevre is a smooth, bright, and effortlessly spreadable goat cheese. Its light, tangy flavor enhances pizzas and pastas and pairs beautifully with fresh herbs. Swap it for cream cheese on a bagel, drizzle it with honey and berries for a delightful dessert, or savor it on its own. With its mild, versatile taste, it's a perfect fit for any cheese board.
Blakesville’s Linedeline takes inspiration from the renowned French goat cheese Morbier, known for its signature line of vegetable ash running through the center. This large-format, ash-ripened goat cheese evolves over time—starting out firm when young, then developing a luscious creamline beneath the rind as it matures, with the paste becoming irresistibly fudgy and airy. Its flavor is a balanced mix of grassy, citrusy, and subtly mushroomy notes, with a bright tang reminiscent of crème fraîche. Enjoy it with sweet jam, fresh fruit, a crisp salad, or stirred into risotto for a rich, creamy touch.
The name may be playful, but this exquisite, soft, and delicate goat cheese—inspired by the legendary Chabichou du Poitou—is nothing short of exceptional. Like its famed French counterpart, this Wisconsin cheese boasts a thin, wrinkly rind that gives way to a luscious, gooey creamline as it matures. Its paste is incredibly light and clay-like, offering a flavor that’s earthy, grassy, citrusy, and minerally, without the sharp tang of fresh goat cheese.
This tomme-style cheese—a small, round wheel with a rustic rind—embodies everything we love in an aged goat cheese. St. Germain is delicate yet complex, with nutty, sweetly tangy, and slightly musky flavors, complemented by piney, herbaceous, and floral notes. Aged for 3-4 months, it has a semi-firm texture that’s rich and irresistibly melt-in-your-mouth. Enjoy it with almonds, honey, dried figs and apricots, olives, and cured meats like prosciutto and salami.
Inspired by the iconic French St. Nectaire, Blakesville’s Sunny Ridge is a mild, approachable goat cheese perfect for beginners. Washed with a sour peach beer from Chicago’s Is/Was Brewing, its rind takes on a subtle fruitiness that enhances the cheese’s clean, bright, tangy, musky, and minerally notes with a hint of sweetness. Enjoy it simply on crusty bread or crackers, or pair it with summer fruits, raw vegetables, and hazelnuts for a delightful combination.
Lake Effect boasts a distinctive texture and a fresh, buttery flavor that has quickly won over cheese lovers. As it matures, this cheese develops a beautifully balanced, creamy profile with subtle tangy notes from the goat’s milk and a pleasantly earthy finish. Its natural rind lends a rustic charm, enhancing the interplay between smooth, fresh milk flavors and rich, savory complexity.
Blakesvilla has also recently begun crafting some cheeses from sheep’s milk, and their Pecuri In I Vigne is a winner. This luscious cheese is wrapped in Corsican muscat-soaked-soaked grape leaves, infusing it with a delicate earthiness. Aged to a soft, creamy texture, it practically melts in your mouth, offering notes of fresh hay, sun-dried leaves, and the natural sweetness of sheep’s milk. Enjoy it with fresh bread, olives, or dried fruit, or pair it with honey and roasted nuts for a sweet-savory twist.
After Glow is a tribute to Langres, the renowned washed-rind cheese from France’s Champagne region. What sets it apart, though, is that each wheel is washed in a Belgian-style red ale brewed with local cherries from Wisconsin’s New Glarus Brewing Company. The result is a stunning, fruit-forward goat cheese with a subtle fruity aroma and a clean, mineral-rich, slightly salty flavor. Rich and creamy, it’s best enjoyed at room temperature, paired with ripe fruit, nuts, honey, or spread on a fresh baguette with cornichons and French mustard.
Light, delicate, and full of flavor, Lake Breeze is a soft-ripened goat cheese with a creamy, mousse-like texture that melts in your mouth. A thin, wrinkled rind adds earthy depth, while the flavor starts bright and citrusy, evolving into a smooth, salty finish with a hint of barnyard. Enjoy it fresh or let it age for a richer, more complex profile. Either way, it pairs beautifully with honey, crisp white wine, or spread on a warm baguette.
Even if you’re not a goat cheese lover yet, Blakesville Creamery might just change your mind. Explore their cheeses now on iGourmet.com.