LeRaysville Cheese
Specialty cheeses
LeRaysville Cheese in Bradford County, PA, proudly continues the tradition of "crossroads creameries" that used to be so prevalent in its area. One hundred years ago, there were 40 factories in the county producing butter and cheese and collecting milk. Now, LeRaysville is one of three cheese factories, including a goat cheese producer and a much larger cheese factory that produces mainly mozzarella.
LeRaysville's factory was built in 1977 as an Amish coop for canned milk. When this venture didn't prove successful, James Amory transformed LeRaysville into a cheese factory which today processes 6000 pounds of milk a day. LeRaysville buys their milk through a small local coop of four farmers who pledge to not use rBGH. LeRaysville's mission is to support family farmers. They do so by consistently giving farmers a fair price for their milk. For example, when milk prices recently got so low, LeRaysville set their minimum price paid to farmers at 15% above what Kraft was paying. This support of small farmers is important in what is a big dairy county with a long tradition of small family farms. In Bradford County particularly, dairy farms are smaller than average because of the rough countryside. Where there used to be at least 600 dairy farms, there are only 430 dairy farms today.
LeRaysville also supports these farmers by encouraging farmstead cheesing, and running workshops on cheesemaking and the economics of small factories. Mr. Amory notes that Pennsylvania is beautifully situated to take advantage of the ethnic markets of the East Coast. They currently work with a Brazilian and Portuguese distributor in New York as well as selling directly to small food coops and many mom and pop stores in the very small towns of their own region. LeRaysville produces high-quality cheeses with no artificial additives or preservatives. As more and more unhealthy, artificial cheeses are put on the market, LeRaysville's niche market is strengthened and the business is flourishing. Mr. Amory notes that the East Coast's concentration on commodity cheeses (such as cheddar and mozzarella) is a big mistake, and that Pennsylvania could learn from Wisconsin's cheese producers who have begun focusing on more specialty cheeses. This trend is just beginning to take root in Pennsylvania with a newly formed artisan cheesemakers' association. According to Mr. Amory, this direction is also one that holds promise for the future of family dairying.
Consumers also have an enormous interest in supporting family farms. This is especially crucial today when the food industry is the second leading industry in the country (after the pharmaceutical industry), but is unable to pay farmers a decent living. Mr. Amory finds this situation criminal. He compares LeRaysville's production cost ($1.50/lb) to that of Kraft ($0.19/lb) to demonstrate just how much money Kraft is making from their cheeses (rather than the dairy farmers). While retail food brings an 18% profit on its investment, farmers receive, on average, only 2.39% profit. This seriously threatens the integrity of our food supply. The fact that the U.S. will become a net food importer within the next few years makes our food system very vulnerable.
Quality and health are also major concerns for our food system. Mr. Amory reports that in the many glossy magazines he receives pertaining to the cheese industry, there are never any articles about improving quality, only about making production cheaper. In particular, cheese with a higher salt content has recently become prevalent, because it is cheaper to produce. While the situation looks grave and it appears that family farms are fighting a losing battle, Mr. Amory predicts that soon something will hit the fan, and voters will wake up. When they do, LeRaysville Cheese and other small producers like them are ready and waiting with the products and solutions they've been offering for years.
