Rogue Creamery
Why southern Oregon?
Climate, quality of life, agricultural heritage
Location: Central Point (866) 396-4704
Owners: David Gremmels and Cary Bryant Employees: 35 Click here to visit the Rogue Creamery website Carefully maintaining an already outstanding product is no easy task; refining and leading that product to achieve global recognition is nothing short of phenomenal. David Gremmels and Cary Bryant were not in the market to buy an artisan cheese company with a 67-year history when they stumbled across Rogue Creamery in 2002; in fact, Gremmels likes to say that the cheese found them. Yet only a few years later, the innovative due has led the local creamery to create the world’s best hand-made blue cheese – Rogue River Blue, and their unique Smokey Blue cheese, to garner numerous awards in Europe.
Rogue Creamery is proud of their agricultural heritage and is going the distance to ensure the creamery is tied to the factory, to the valley and to the land. The local business climate makes that easy to do, the company reports, with substantial support from numerous jurisdictions and agencies including SOREDI and its business development loan fund. Rogue Creamery is particularly proud of its connections and movement to a simpler time when food was made by hand with and emphasis on quality. According the company, consumers are no longer content to simply buy the product; they want to” know the farmer that grows their produce or the dairyman who provides their milk.”
While innovative talent is undoubtedly critical to their recipe for success, Rogue Creamery is looking out for the success of the numerous other artisans and small businesses in Central Point, as well. Lillie Belle Farms recently collaborated with the company to create the Smokey Blue truffle and expanded into a facility which is literally across the parking lot. Rogue Creamery has in mind to create an Exit 33 tourist destination of artisan companies including a bakery, brewery, and specialty meat connoisseur to name just a few. According to Katy Coba, Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture “The owners of Rogue Creamery created the artisan movement in Oregon . . . they are the real reason why Oregon’s artisan cheese makers are so successful.” With that said, there is no doubt that the innovative duo’s Exit 33 Artisan Corridor project will be as successful.
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