If you are looking for a savory, farm house style cheese to adorn your next appetizer tray, look no further than Selle Valley Creamery! My family and I had the pleasure of driving up to Sandpoint to meet the Miller family, and check out their farm and production facility. We all love cheese in our family, so I couldn’t leave anyone behind on this field trip. Since we are homeschooling our 2 boys this year, I figured this would be a good experience for their education. Unfortunately we left later than planned and arrived right before lunch time and the kids were complaining about hunger.
Brad and Gina generously cut up various cheeses and summer sausage with crackers for us to sample. My boys devoured everything that was put in front of them and I suppose that was a compliment to their incredible cheese but an embarrassment to my husband and me. At least they said thank you! My favorite of the cheese we sampled was the Hot Pepper Jack. It was just right in its heat profile. Pilgrim’s Market sells a variety of their cheese in our gourmet cheese case but for me, the most exciting cheese that they make for us is our exclusive, Pilgrim’s Gold cheese! If you haven’t tried it, please do as it has such a unique rich flavor. It’s a combination of parmesan, Gouda and cheddar and it’s so rich that it’s good on its own or can be served as a highlight on any charcuterie board. The Miller family is passionate about their cheese making.
Brad explained to us how he got started in the cheese making business: “Our journey began in 2008 when we moved to northern Idaho to work on a Boys ranch that my father-in-law and mother-in-law started. We got our 1st cow in 2009 and started milking by hand for our own use. At Springs of Hope Creamery we realized the need for farm raised products. In 7 years SOHC grew to a 25 cow grade A dairy. (As the dairy grew I realized there was an opportunity for my family to work closely together.) We produced products such as raw milk, yogurt, kefir, and butter. We sold and delivered the products to local stores and Natural Food Markets from Moyie Springs to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.”
When the Boys ranch closed down, Brad and Gina then took a leap of faith and moved their family of 9 to Pennsylvania when an opportunity came up to make cheese under September Farms, a creamery that has been featured on Food Network and is famous for their farm house style cheese. A side note: September Farms is run by the traditional Amish community and since they do not drive vehicles, Brad would deliver cheese in a tractor to nearby businesses! The Miller family then moved back to Sandpoint in 2019 to live close to their family (both sides of their family live on the same road) and because they absolutely love the outdoor lifestyle that North Idaho provides.
Their family farmstead sells fresh eggs and cheese ends. They are repackaging the famous September Farms cheese under Selle Valley Creamery and Pilgrim’s Market exclusive, Pilgrim’s Gold. They are not making cheese at their facility at this time but hope to do so in the near future. In the meantime, they are serious about quality cheese and are happy to be a distributor of gourmet cheese to our community. You can taste the love and commitment to farm raised products in their cheese. Cheers to that!
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