Geotrichum 101

The Tradition of Geotrichum Rinded Cheeses

Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery is proud to be the only American creamery that is producing and selling geotrichum rinded goat cheeses nationally. They are difficult to make and our customers who know imported traditional goat cheeses simply love our cheeses. We are thrilled that you have the confidence in our ability to produce a consistently good cheese to promote this unique American category and expand your cheese offering. Below are some helpful tips for selling this kind of cheese.

What is a geotrichum rind and how should it look?

Geotrichum is a mold/yeast that we add to the cheese milk to produce the distinctive geo rind. As the cheese ages and ripens, the rind wrinkles and looks like coral. The more wrinkled the rind, the more complex and delicious the cheese. Look for it and celebrate it. Geotrichum is not pristine white like bloomy rinded cheeses such as brie or camembert. A well developed geo rind is off white and opaque.

After a month to five weeks of aging, blue spots may appear on the rind. Geotrichum is a delicate rind and is not resistant to spots of blue mold. The blue mold will not compromise the quality of the cheese. Blue is a natural progression of the rind during the aging. Many consumers prefer a cheese that is aged and more complex. These cheeses should be merchandised at 6-8 weeks old to fully appreciate their flavor. With that we must educate the retailer and consumer to embrace this normal progression of rind development. Blue spots can easily be removed with a knife by the chef or retailer and the cheese will still taste good. It is also edible and a matter of personal preference.

When is there too much blue?

If the cheeses arrive at the store or restaurant covered with blue spots, this is not good. Too much blue will overpower the delicate flavor of the geo rind and not be representative of the fine cheese that we want our customers to enjoy. If there are more than 4 spots of blue on the cheese we will credit the cheese. We encourage the chef to remove the blue spots before serving the cheese or using it in a recipe. If a retailer received a cheese with too much blue in a case of six we encourage the retailer to sample that cheese and we will credit the cheese for sampling.

How do we keep it simple for the customer?

This line of American-made goat cheese is made in the same way as the traditional goat cheeses from France. We should view them in the same way that we view the air shipped cheeses from Europe. We don’t reject every crate of Valencay, Pouligny Saint Pierre, Selles sur Cher or Crottin Chavignol when we see a spot of blue. It is an opportunity to distinguish a retailer as a supplier of sophisticated, artisanal cheeses.