Grafton Village Cheese Company

Grafton Village Cheese Company has been producing award-winning raw milk cheddar in southern Vermont since 1892, making it one of the oldest operating cheese cooperatives in New England. The original Grafton facility in the village of Grafton operates as both a working cheese-making operation and a visitor destination, offering free cheese tastings, retail sales, and views into the aging cave where wheels of cheddar develop their characteristic sharp flavor over months and years. The cheese is made from raw Jersey cow milk sourced from local Vermont farms, and the lineup ranges from a mild one-year cheddar to a four-year Classic Reserve aged cheddar that has won multiple national awards at the American Cheese Society competition. The Grafton village location is housed in a 19th-century creamery building that is itself a piece of Vermont architectural heritage, situated along the Saxtons River in a village of white clapboard buildings that has changed little since the 1880s. The retail shop stocks the full cheddar lineup alongside Vermont wines, craft beers, maple products, and specialty foods that complement the cheese. Free tastings at the counter allow comparison of multiple aging levels side by side. The village of Grafton itself is extraordinarily well-preserved and warrants a brief stroll — the Old Tavern at Grafton, a covered bridge, and the village pond are all within easy walking distance. Grafton Village Cheese also operates a second retail location in Woodstock for visitors to the northern part of the state. A visit to the Grafton creamery typically takes 30 minutes to an hour, with village exploration adding another 30–60 minutes for a relaxed half-morning in one of Vermont's most scenic southern villages.