Nettle Meadow Farm and Artisan Cheese

In 2005, owners Sheila Flanagan and Lorraine Lambiase made the trek from Oakland, California to Thurman, New York, with a motley crew in the back of their Honda Element. They knew that cold winters, lots (and lots!) of nettle bushes, and long nights laid ahead, but each knew it would be worth it to fulfill their animal sanctuary and cheesemaking dreams.

When we got to New York, our days blurred together as we got our life in order, still somehow managing to make cheese in a tiny kitchen the way we were doing it in Oakland. We tested recipes and flavors, eventually nailing our now award-winning chèvre recipe (we even won an award for our Honey Lavender Fromage Blanc that same year)!

​We transformed the original farm house on the property to be cheese production facility, which grew and changed we did. We learned a lot, bumped into each other often, grew our team, bumped into each other even more, but loved being so close to our true mission: the animals.