• Local Goods Gathered
Local Goods Gathered was founded to promote Artisan cheesemakers in Maine, Who utilize the highest quality milk, from the best breeds of cows, goats, sheep, and water buffalo, all fed on Maine’s lush grasses and rich terroir. With intent to make quality over quantity, They employ by-hand techniques, making them true artisans.
With your subscription to a Maine Artisan Cheese Box, 1% of the sales will be donated to the Maine Cheese Guild whose mission is to promote Maine cheese and cheesemakers through advocacy and education.
You can find a list of participating makers here.
• Maine Cheesemakers Map & Directory
We suggest you check directly with our Maine Cheesemakers on how to purchase their products. Things are changing fast, and going directly to their websites or social media pages is the best way to find their products. We ask your patience while we update our map and directory. They will be back online soon.
• Maine Farm Products & Pick-up Directory
"University of Maine Cooperative Extension worked with Allison Lakin, owner of East Forty Farm and Dairy, and Lakin’s Gorges Cheese in Waldoboro, to develop the database of Maine farmers’ creative distribution strategies implemented for the public."
~University of Maine Extension Service article
Lakin is a long time member of the Maine Cheese Guild, and many Guild cheesemakers are included on the Extension's new resource for locating locally produced food that is available directly from farms during the Covid-19 epidemic. Farmers' Markets are also considered essential businesses and many Maine cheesemakers rely on them to market their products. Visit Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets for a comprehensive listing of markets and updates.
• Maine Farm Product Pick-Up Directory You can also learn more here, in an article on the Penobsoct Bay area news site, www.penbaypilot.com.
The American artisan cheese industry is in jeopardy, and we need your help! The COVID-19 crisis is devastating the entire American artisan cheese industry, from dairy farmers and cheesemakers to distributors, restaurants, and cheese counters across the country. Together with other cheese industry professionals, we have banded together in a grassroots way to find a way to sustain our struggling industry. Like the Victory Garden movement of a bygone era, this is a call to citizens to step up for domestically produced cheese, because if they don’t choose it now, it may be lost forever. Help us help the artisan cheese industry by purchasing a Victory Cheese Box. 10% of the sales will be donated to the Maine Cheese Guild.
