ACCIDENT, MD. (PRWEB) – FireFly Farms, a producer of handmade cheese from Mountain Maryland, celebrated 20 years in the artisan cheese business last year and nabbed another seven awards for its line of cheeses in national and international competitions.
“The past year has been busy – we remodeled the creamery, moved our Deep Creek market, launched a new website, participated in an international festival, and still managed to stay on top of the cheese making!” said FireFly Farms Director of Operations, Dan Porter. “It’s not easy, but everyone who works here, from the newest apprentice to the most seasoned cheesemaker, is passionate about what we do, and I think that makes a big difference.”
“We keep finding new ways to improve our process,” said FireFly Farms President Mike Koch, “whether it’s adjusting the amount of salt, refreshing a recipe, or tweaking the curd-cut temperature to accommodate seasonal milk changes – every little thing counts. Even after twenty years of cheese making, you know you still have a lot to learn, but of course every year we get better at the craft!”
The seven awards in this anniversary year included recognitions at the American Cheese Society’s judging and competition, the World Cheese Awards, and a first-ever showing at the Mundial do Queijo in São Paulo, Brazil:
- Merry Goat Round was awarded at the World Cheese Awards
- Merry Goat Round Spruce Reserve was awarded by the American Cheese Society and at the World Cheese Awards
- Cabra La Mancha was awarded by American Cheese Society
- Black & Blue was awarded at the World Cheese Awards
- Cave Dweller was awarded at the Mundial do Queijo do Brasil
- Carpenter’s Wheel, produced in collaboration with Crown Finish Caves, was awarded by the American Cheese Society
“We’ve won a lot of awards over the years,” says Dan Porter, “but that’s really not what matters to us. Our commitment is to handcrafted, artisan cheese that uses fresh milk from local farms. People taste and value that even when they don’t know that they’re eating a medal winner.”
“I think our customers really value our focus on sustainability”, said Mike Koch. “When your milk comes from farms just down the road, when your cheesemakers raise chickens and cows at home, when you can share whey with a pig farmer and when you brush shoulders with folks every day who are making a living off the land, it really drives home the need to take care of what you have for the next generation. Our solar panels, whey-recycling program, local sourcing – it all comes from a recognition that we need to be leaders in our community.”
Long hailed as one of the best places to visit in Mountain Maryland’s Garrett County, the FireFly Farm’s market location in Accident, MD expanded this year, moving just a few blocks down the street. As before, it features FireFly Farm’s award-winning cheeses as well as other specialty, hand-selected items from the region and around the world.
Meanwhile FireFly Farms’ second market in historic Whitehall Mill in Baltimore is receiving recognition for its natural wine selection, one of the best in the city. “I suppose you could say I have a passion for wine and cheese,” says Jesse Galdston, general manager of FireFly Market in Whitehall Mill. “We pride ourselves on searching out hard-to-find bottles, whether a library release of a 1994 German Riesling for under $50, (sorry, sold out!) or naturally fermented champagne, we’ve always got something interesting to pair with your cheese.”
In addition to the two market locations, FireFly Farms cheese is nationally available through its distribution partners and can be found in several major grocery chains specialty retail stores, restaurants and via several online partners. For information or to purchase FireFly Farms’ cheese, please contact the creamery directly or visit its newly relaunched website and ecommerce platform at http://www.fireflyfarms.com.
“We’re excited to be expanding our geographic reach and making our cheeses accessible to anyone, no matter where they live,” said Mike Koch. “Our new monthly cheese subscription allows us to curate something special every month for our customers – as well as feature complimentary products from other exciting food businesses.”
About FireFly Farms: FireFly Farms was founded in 2002 and offers nationally & internationally award‐winning goat’s and cow’s milk cheeses that express the distinct regional flavors of Mountain Maryland’s Allegheny Plateau. Each cheese is artfully handcrafted and aged with precise detail, resulting in exceptional flavor and texture. FireFly Farms is prides itself on using agriculturally sustainable, locally‐sourced fresh goat’s and cow’s milk and time‐honored, traditional methods of cheese making.
The winery building will have a singular aspiration – to act as a gateway to the surrounding soil and vineyards. Lundberg hopes the winery will express the direct connection between the land, the grapes, the cave, and the winery. The ground floor of the winery will serve as the production facility, and the second floor will be reserved for hospitality spaces for private tastings. 
“Along with my family, I am so pleased that we have reached this important milestone in the expansion of Inglenook’s cave,” said Coppola.
“The smartest products are the ones that make the most sense for the way we live, work, and entertain in our homes,” says Samantha Hart, Executive Editor, Luxury Home Design Group. “Our winning products simplify tasks and deliver beauty and functionality where it’s needed most.”
Simon and Shannon Mee, owners of Newhall Refinery, already had re-vamped their existing Wine List with the help of Guy Lelarge, formerly of Valencia Wine Company. Lelarge introduced several new wines – that have become new favorites – while removing some older wines from the list. But it doesn’t end here for the Mees and Lelarge, as Newhall Refinery is one of the most cutting edge restaurants in the Santa Clarita Valley (many would argue that they are the most cutting edge) they wanted to create a reserve wine list that would encompass classic Napa wineries as well as global favorites, wines with high critic scores, name recognition and pair the best with their ever-changing fare.
From Turtle Rock owner, Claudia Burns, I quickly discovered that her husband Don Burns came from a caliber of winemakers to respect: He was and continues to be the assistant winemaker for Saxum Vineyards – obtaining many of his wine grapes from the same vineyards – and he works on both wines simultaneously in the Saxum caves. If it’s punch down day for Saxum it’s also punch down day for Turtle Rock.
It wasn’t that long ago that Zinfandel was thought of either as a sweet pink wine made for mass consumption or as a highly alcoholic monster meant to get you where you want to go as quickly as possible.