On the way from Burlington VT (where we landed on Delta Airlines) through the capitol of Montpelier then on to St. Johnsbury, we took a slight detour to see the Cabot Creamery. This creamery was started in 1919 and has always been owned by the local dairy farmers who wanted a market for their milk. The coop has merged with several other coops and businesses over the past nine decades.

Cabot Creamery is apparently a top producer of various dairy products because they have won a number of awards as the best at both the U.S. and international level. Their numerous products are available all over New England and New York. They claim to also have some of their products in other parts of the country. We often saw their trucks during the week as well as their products in the local grocery stores.

The Creamery is right on the highway that runs through the town. It is on a hill and at the entrance is a sign saying "Visitors Center". The creamery is on the back side (northern side) of the visitors center. The visitors center is a small gift shop (it can get quite crowded) that sells all of the creamery products, including some that can be found no where else. Their catalog also offers some products that are not sold in stores.

The two dollar 30-minute tour consists mostly of walking up and down the hallway looking into windows where the various processes of making dairy products happens. This includes where the trucks carrying milk are brought in and tested. The most interesting part of the tour is where the whey is mixed with the curd (cooked milk) to produce the large blocks of cheese. The blocks are then warehoused and allowed to age. The length of the aging is what determines how mild or sharp the cheese is designated.