• About Our Cheese, Dairy Products & Coop
• Our Co-Op Farming Practices
• Cabot Products & Dietary Needs
• Enhance Your Cheese & Dairy IQ
• Check for rBST Assurance

About Our Cheese, Dairy Products & Coop

How is Cabot cheddar cheese made?
First, high quality cows’ milk is gathered from Cabot’s farmer-owners, pasteurized, and then poured into a temperature-controlled vat. A starter culture of lactic acid is added to the milk, which enables the milk to reach the proper acidity.

When they are satisfied that the milk is ready to be turned into cheese, our cheesemakers add a coagulating enzyme. In about 30 minutes the curd forms. The curds are cut, stirred, and pressed together to form 42, 225, or 670 pound blocks of cheddar. The cheddar is then aged, packaged, and ultimately distributed for our consumers to enjoy.

What is the difference between Smooth Sharp, Extra Sharp and Seriously Sharp Cheddar?
Good question. The main difference between the three products is the amount of time they are aged. Cabot Smooth Sharp has a flavor that is reliable and consistent from batch to batch and is a customer favorite. Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar has a strong cheddar flavor that many cheddar fans specifically look for. Just like its younger sibling, Cabot Smooth Sharp Cheddar, it is consistent from batch to batch. You know what you are getting every time. Seriously Sharp is another story; it’s our “wild” cheddar. Its flavor is unpredictable, always earns a “puck,” and is usually even sharper than Extra Sharp. Seriously Sharp is a top of the line product that invites you to walk on the wild side, experiment with your taste buds, and treat yourself to a cheese sensation that differs from one batch to the next.

Are Cabot products made with pasteurized milk?
Yes.  All of Cabot's products are made from pasteurized milk. Pasteurization destroys undesirable pathogenic microorganisms, such as E. coli or Listeria.  We choose to be overly cautious in this area to ensure our dairy products are free of pathogens.

What kind of rennet is used to make Cabot cheeses?
Cabot uses a microbial-based enzyme to manufacture all of our award-winning cheeses with the exception of our Processed American Cheese slices. The microbial-based enzyme coagulates the milk into curds and whey, and it is approved for vegetarians. This enzyme also allows our cheeses to pass kosher certification. Our Processed American Cheese slices are sourced from plants that Cabot does not own, so we cannot guarantee that they are made with microbial enzymes.

What is the best way to store Cabot cheese?
Cabot cheese stored within a vacuum-sealed bag inside the refrigerator is ideal. However, consumers can remove the original wrapper and re-wrap the cheese with plastic wrap, placing the wrapped cheese inside an airtight bag in the refrigerator. This will provide the best assurance of quality.

Can I freeze Cabot cheeses?
We don’t recommend freezing our cheeses. Freezing cheese compromises the texture, typically resulting in extreme crumbling. The cheese is still fine for eating and cooking, but it can be more difficult to work with.

What is the best way to store Cabot Cheddar Powder (Cheddar Shake)?
We recommend storing Cabot's Cheddar Shake in the pantry. The moisture from the refrigerator can cause clumping.

I don’t understand some of the ingredients in your reduced fat cheddars. Can you explain terms like “monoglyceride” and “Vitamin A palmitate"?
Monogylceride is a substance used to improve the texture of our reduced fat cheddar. The monoglyceride that we use in our 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar is derived from vegetable oil — specifically palm oil — but only contributes .01g to the total fat content . It does not contain any trans fats.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found naturally in milk, but is lost when whole milk is reduced in fat content. By law, we are required to add Vitamin A back to lower-fat milk products and the addition of palmitic acid, one of the most common fatty acids found in plants, allows it to remain stable.

Why don't you use real Horseradish in your Horseradish Cheddar?
We earnestly tried to use real horseradish in our Cheddar but over time real horseradish does not pass our quality standards. The flavor used on all of our horseradish cheese is all natural and is made with a combination of oils, mustard, and other spices, which is added to our natural Cabot cheese.

What is the best way to travel with Cabot Cheese?
While the optimal temperature for cheese is between 35 and 45 degrees Farenheit, you can safely travel with your cheese and not worry about immediate spoilage.  Because it's not always possible to travel with a cooler, we recommend keeping your Cabot cheese refrigerated or on ice as close to travel as possible, keeping it in its original packaging, placing it in plastic and then storing it in your luggage.  It will remain flavorful and fresh for at least one day in the baggage compartment of the plane; just be sure to refrigerate it upon arriving at your final destination.  One note of caution: if you are carrying cheese while flying, be sure to check your bag.

Does Cabot offer coupons?
As a cooperative, our couponing efforts are limited; 100% of our profits are returned to our farm family owners. Nevertheless, we encourage you to sign up for our enewsletter and/or become a Fan on Facebook as we do occasionally send out special offers to our loyal fans as our way of saying thank you.

Why do I hear about Cabot polluting land by spreading washwater?
Cabot's landspreading of washwater does not pollute nor spread toxic chemicals. Regulations and quality standards require cleaning the creamery pipes and equipment each time we make our dairy products. We collect this washwater and spread it on the fields of landowners who wish to receive it. We hope this web page allays concerns by sharing the facts from our community discussions and information forum.

I have heard that Agri-Mark is a large industrial company formed in Delaware.
Agri-Mark is a cooperative, not a corporation, of dairy farm families originally founded in 1913. The farmers collectively own the brands of Cabot and McCadam Cheese. LIke many cooperatives, Agri-Mark incorporated in Delaware because of their cooperative law, which many states did not have at the time. Agri-Mark is currently headquartered in Methuen, MA. Our farm families are lcoated throughout New England and Upstate New York. The farmers have invested over $100 million in plants, property, and equipment in the past 20 years. They operate plants in Cabot, VT, Middlebury, VT, Springfield, MA, and Chateaugay, NY. While all our profits are returned to our farmer owners, we are dedicated to supporting our local workforce and the communities in which we farm and produce and sell dairy products. 

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Our Co-Op Farming Practices

Does Cabot offer organic products?
Cabot does not offer organic products. Most of Cabot's farms are not organic and have chose to remain that way due to their size and the expense of becoming certified.  However, all 1,200 of our farm families work together to maintain the highest standards and insure that our products, including the World's Best Cheddar, is produced in a natural way. 

What does Cabot do to ensure the proper treatment of its farmers’ herds?
Cabot and our parent cooperative, Agri-Mark, go to great lengths to ensure the safety, health, and happiness of our cattle. Fourteen of the fifteen members on our Board of Directors are active dairy farmers. Our farmers all rely on each other to provide high quality, safe milk that is in turn converted to various world class cheeses and other dairy products, and they know you can only achieve top notch results if your cattle are healthy and happy. What exactly do we do?

We are enrolled in program called FARM, Farmers Assuring Responsible Management, whose goal is to demonstrate and verify that milk producers are committed to the highest standards in animal care. As part of this program our twenty field representatives, who visit our farms every day, are trained to ensure that there is no mistreatment of any animals on our farms.

Do your cows have access to pasture?
Our cows are raised in different ways. We are a cooperative of more than 1,200 family farms where each farm is independently managed. Each farm is different in terms of herd size, landscape, soil makeup, etc so practices differs among farms. We know that the majority of the 1,200 farm families pasture their herd during the late spring and summer months when weather allows. Others allow their cows to go out and get fresh air but do not pasture them. When the cows are not out to pasture they are in free-stall barns that provide plenty of space for eating and exercising. Bedding is changed frequently every day.

What Do Cabot Cows Eat?
The main source of sustenance for the cows in our cooperative is corn silage, grass silage, pasture and dried hay (all of these are usually grown on the farm or locally) or a combination of these types of feed. Many of our farmer-owners work with dairy nutrition experts and will supplement the feed with high energy pellet grain or other commodities if needed to balance the cow’s diet properly. The goal is to give the cows plenty of nutritious food so that they stay healthy and provide good quality milk.

Do Cabot products contain antibiotics?
No antibiotics are in any Cabot products. Tests for antibiotics are conducted on all milk before it enters our plants according to all federal and state laws and regulations.  There are serious penalties and consequences for our farmers if they were to ship milk from an animal on antibiotics.  Testing throughout the milk handling process ensures that no mistakes can be made.

Do Cabot Products contain GMOs?
Cabot products have been tested and do not contain GMO’s.

We are a cooperative of more than 1200 small family farms from all six New England states and New York State, and each farm is different in acreage, the type of land they have and the crops they are able to grow.

The main source of sustenance for the cows in our cooperative is corn silage, grass silage, pasture and dried hay (all of these are usually grown on the farm or locally) or a combination of these types of feed. Many of our farmer-owners work with dairy nutrition experts and will supplement the feed with high energy pellet grain or other commodities if needed to balance the cow’s diet properly. The goal is to give the cows plenty of nutritious food so that they stay healthy and provide good quality milk. With 80% of corn production in the U.S. being of the GMO variety, the non GMO variety is hard to obtain and is usually limited to organic farms. For this reason our farmer-owners have not banned their own use of GMOs.

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Cabot & Dietary Needs

Can people with lactose intolerance enjoy Cabot cheeses?
Yes, Cabot produces many cheeses that contain zero (0) grams of lactose including Cheddar, Reduced Fat Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack and Muenster. In general, eating any aged cheese should not affect those with lactose intolerance because lactose – the major carbohydrate in milk – disappears within 3 to 4 weeks after the cheese is made. For more information, click here

Do Cabot products contain gluten?
All of Cabot's products are gluten-free. Any and all ingredients, anti-caking agents, etc. are researched and verified to be gluten-free. For more information, click here

Are Cabot Products Kosher and/or Halal Certified?
Cabot is certified kosher and offers a broad range of kosher dairy products, including cheese, cultured products, and butters. Under the supervision of a rabbi, Cabot maintains kosher standards. In addition Cabot offers a broad range of halal cheddar cheeses that have met the rules and regulations specified by a supervising Islamic Administrator. Cabot Cheeses are free of all animal by-products, and our cheeses are made without any animal rennet.  Please look for this icon on the packaging of your favorite Cabot dairy products to be sure they are certified.

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Enhance Your Cheese & Dairy IQ
 

How many gallons of milk are needed to make cheese and butter?
It requires 1.16 gallons (or ten pounds) of whole milk to make one pound of cheddar. To make one pound of butter it takes 2.47 gallons (or 22 pounds).

How can cheddar be mild and sharp?
Age is the only difference between mild cheddar and sharp cheddar. The longer that the Cabot cheddar naturally ages the sharper and more pronounced the flavor becomes.

Why is some cheddar orange (yellow) and some white?
All cheddar made from cows’ milk is naturally white, the color of milk. However, as Cabot’s distribution expanded, it became more important to provide orange or yellow cheddar. Some say this preference dates back many centuries when cheesemakers tried to match the exact color of cheddar from Cheddar, England. Regardless of preference, we use a coloring called annatto. Annatto is from a South American plant, and does not affect the flavor or the texture of the cheese.

How long does a dairy cow provide milk?
Cattle are two years old before they are able to become pregnant and enter the milking herd. They will remain in the milking herd as long as they are able to provide enough milk to cover costs, typically between six and nine years.

Why did my cheese mold before the sell-by date?
The combination of our USDA Grade A plant and airtight packaging usually prevents mold from growing on our cheeses. On rare occasions, however, mold makes an unsightly appearance. Sometimes even a microscopic leak in the packaging is all that is necessary for mold to grow. Please know that while the mold that grows on our cheese is unsightly, it is completely harmless.

Why is my cheddar so crumbly?
As natural cheddar ages, it typically becomes drier and more crumbly in texture. Many Cheddar connoisseurs prefer this type of Cheddar. However, in extreme cases of crumbly cheddar, it is possible that the cheese froze, perhaps in transit or in storage. While the cheese is still fine for eating, melts well, and works nicely to flavor your favorite recipes, it may be more difficult to work with.

Why is my cheese wet?
Proteins in the cheese give up moisture as they age in a process known as “synersis”. This is typically a small amount of moisture and it does not damage the cheese in any way, rather it allows the cheese to reach the next stage of maturity. We recommend you simply wipe off any excessive moisture, wrap the cheese in fresh plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator.

What are the hard white objects in my Cheddar Cheese?
When cheddar cheese is described as "crunchy," "gritty," or containing hard, peppercorn sized white pellets, it is usually because of an amino acid called Tyrosine. Tyrosine occurs as the milk proteins age. At Cabot, we age our cheese naturally using our time-honored traditions. Cheddar that is aged over 12 months may contain milk proteins that have crystallized during the aging process. This process happens rarely and is not a defect in the aging process. This crystallized protein is not dangerous to eat and some customers even prefer it as a hallmark of outstanding "aged" cheddar. For more information, click here.

Can butter be stored at room temperature?
While butter can be kept at room temperature, the American Butter Institute recommends always storing butter in the refrigerator at or below 40°F, or in the freezer, to ensure maximum quality and guard against spoiling.

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rBST Assurances
 

Is milk from rBST treated cows used to make Cabot products?
For consumers who wish to purchase products derived from cows not treated with rBST, Agri-Mark's Cabot brand offers a wide selection of cheese and other dairy products. Check the label for information about the rBST status of a particular product. An rBST-free icon on the package means that the product was produced with milk from cows not treated with rBST. If there is no icon, the rBST status of the product cannot be assured. With this system, the consumer will always know at point of purchase if a claim can or cannot be made.

*By law we must note: The FDA has stated that there is no significant difference between milk from rBST-treated and untreated cows. 

In addition to our ICON, which is the most accurate indicator of whether milk from rBST treated cows was used in the production of our products, please consult this list as provided at the request of the Vermont Attorney General.  For whatever reason we can't make a claim, this icon will NOT appear on packaging.  THIS LIST WILL CHANGE.

Last Updated 5/13/12.  This list will be updated monthly.  Nevertheless, your best indication is looking for our no rBST icon on the package of the Cabot product you are purchasing.

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