Hoo Doo Valley Creamery

Update: Hoo Doo Valley Creamery has closed.

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I discovered this cheesemaker at my local Hollywood Farmer’s Market on a recent sunny fall Saturday AM…these folks woke up way before I did, though, having left Priest River, Idaho (about 50 miles northeast of Spokane) at 3:30 AM to get to our market in Portland.

The Creamery has been operating for only about a year, so this is one cheesemaker that many folks may not be familiar with. Cheesemaking is an extension of the farm's existing dairy business, Rainbow Acres, where between 140 and 160 Holstein and Jersey cows are milked to produce the cheese that makes it into stores. Jack cheese is their primary product right now and they offer it plain, as well as in a variety of flavors including chipotle, pesto and dill. They also sell packaged cheese curd (Rogue Creamery is the only other local cheesemaker I’ve seen that also sells packaged curd; Tillamook curd is available only at the factory). I tried all of the varieties, and to me it’s a creamier and more flavorful Jack than the usual bland stuff you get in the stores (and better than Tillamook’s, according to them!). Hoo Doo Valley Creamery also makes a white cheddar and feta, although they didn't have any available at the market when I visited.

Future plans include entering a big competition in Wisconsin in December, where Hoo Doo Valley Creamery will face other cheesemakers head to head. Maybe it's just me, but I wonder about the importance of these things to the consumer...but to a cheesemaker, I imagine that these are events where they can establish some credibility and build their reputation (plus, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to put an award on the label).

Talking to these folks about their travels reminds me of how much sheer effort goes into selling a product. On the one hand, you have to tend to the cows, goats or sheep and take care of the production end, but there’s another world of selling, marketing and developing a name for the product and building a reputation for quality. When you're located in Northern Idaho, it's just another layer of difficulty because all of that is going to involve a lot of driving. Producing and selling cheese is not a simple thing, by any means.

Hoo Doo Valley products are available in the Portland area at Food Front Co-Op and People's Co-Op.

Hoo Doo Valley Creamery
1847 Kendall Rd.
Priest River, Idaho  83856
(208) 255-4388

Comments

[Philip]

Do you not use growth hormones in your cows?

[PNWCheese]

Philip -- you might contact the people at Hoo Doo Valley Creamery directly (see their address and phone number in the body of the piece). I do not know whether they use growth hormone or not.