Have you ever wondered when eating a pizza, panini or pasta dish, how exactly the ever-so-integral cheese is made? Have you stopped to ask why locally-produced artisan cheese differs from that of the Kraft or Tillamook you buy in the store? Although cheese consists of only a handful of ingredients, the science behind producing a good cheese is anything but simple. Third-generation dairy farmer and first-generation cheesemaker, Daniel Wavrin and the team at Ferndale Farmstead, craft one-of-a-kind Italian-style artisan cheeses, which embody all the qualities of a good cheese in every bite.

Ferndale is one of the more pastoral areas of Whatcom County, known for its farm country and winding back roads. It is hard to dream up a better location for a dairy farm and cheese making operation. Wavrin isn’t the only one who likes it – his 680 dairy cows are probably the biggest fans of the property, as they graze on the farmed grassland multiple times throughout a given day.

Wavrin dubs Ferndale Farmstead’s way of running things the “seed-to-cheese” process. A process that when broken down seems simple, but it is anything but. Seed is planted which grows the grass the cows will feed on. Dairy cows eat the grass grown on the working farm. All 680 cows are milked twice a day to provide the milk needed to craft the artisan cheese. Cheese is then crafted by a team of less than 10 people. The cheese making team does all the shipping, packaging, sanitation and of course, cheese making. The amount of hard work and dedication that go into producing just one single block of cheese is impressive on its own. Farmers, cheesemakers, milkers, herdsmen and equipment operators all come together to make this fledgling operation a success.

“Being a farmer and a cheesemaker means you have to be working consistently all the time,” Wavrin says. “We have to give both our cows and cheese attention 365 days out of the year, it’s a living process.”

Attention to detail and persistence have paid off for Ferndale Farmstead. This year, Wavrin and team took home various awards from the 2017 American Cheese Society Awards. Their Caciotta, Scamorza and Asiago Pressa were all victorious. Wavrin says their cheese is award-winning due to their “seed-to-cheese” system. Crafting their cheese in this manner allows them to craft cheese with the freshest ingredients possible.

“We get our milk when it is minutes old,” Wavrin says. “It’s so unique. We are able to pump from the tank in our milking area straight into our cheese production facility. It couldn’t be any fresher.”

When making cheese, quality of milk and cheese cultures reign supreme. Wavrin says they are critical to crafting a good-tasting, high-quality cheese. Cheese, after all, is only made from four ingredients – salt, enzymes, milk and cultures. So the fresher the ingredients the better the cheese.

The cultures used in Ferndale Farmstead cheese have a unique story all their own. A story that traces back to the roots of the entire operation, and when Wavrin first got the idea that making cheese was something he wanted to pursue.

Born and raised in the Yakima Valley to a family of dairy farmers, Wavrin decided to opt for a change of scenery and travel to Cal Polytechnic State University for college. It was there he met a local cheesemaker who would spur his interest in creating artisan cheeses. Upon finishing school he came back to Washington and with the assistance of his father and uncle began plans for a creamery of his own. There was still a lot to do before that creamery was ready.

Wavrin traveled to over 40 different cheesemaking facilities across the country to learn the in’s and out’s. And then got hands-on cheesemaking experience at Mt. Townsend Creamery in Port Townsend. Construction on the Ferndale property began shortly after, starting in 2013. Following construction, Wavrin moved his maestro, Italian cheesemaker Raffaele Mascolo, out to the farm to apprentice under him for a year.

“Nobody was really crafting authentic Italian cheeses on the West Coast, especially mozzarella,” Wavrin says. “So after Zeeks Pizza told us they were looking for some, we sat down and said, ‘We could be those guys.’”

Mascolo, who has connections to cheesemakers in the southern regions of Italy, told Wavrin he could get him Italian cheese cultures from the Naples area. It was an interesting proposition because of how it would change Wavrin’s mozzarella production.

In Italy, mozzarella is traditionally made with live cultures. In the United States the production of mozzarella is almost entirely made using vinegar in its place. But at Ferndale Farmstead, that wouldn’t be the case. Wavrin utilized Mascolo’s connections, and now imports all of his cheese cultures from the Southern part of Italy.

“We opted to make cheese the old-fashioned way,” Wavrin says. “By using original cultures and milk straight from our farm, we believe we make a product that tastes like no other.”

As for now, Ferndale Farmstead cheese can be found across the Pacific Northwest and even into parts of California. Wavrin supplies cheese to many local restaurants in Whatcom County, such as Pizza’zza and Gusto Wood Fired Pizza. Only two years into production, there is only more room to grow (or should I say age) for Ferndale Farmstead.

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There is a saying from Filipino writer Jose Rizal that goes, “The youth are the hope of our future.” It is a short but powerful sentence, and one that holds much merit at that. The old saying holds true in the case of Griffin Berger and his fledgling apple and grape farming enterprise, Sauk Farm. Berger, a 2016 graduate of Washington State University, is the owner and operations manager of Sauk Farm, and one of the youngest in the business. Sauk Farm has been up and operational for almost two years now and they produce four delicious types of apples (including their flagship honeycrisp) and various winegrape varietals.

Born and raised in the Skagit Valley, Berger grew up in and around some of the most fertile farm country in Western Washington. Following his time at Mount Vernon High School, Berger went on to Washington State University. It was here the foundation for Sauk Farm would begin to grow. Berger decided to study Integrated Plant Sciences, with double majors in field crop management and fruit and vegetable management.

Berger says his time at Washington State University played a big role in shaping him into the farmer he is today. Originally entering school with a plan to study in some field of agriculture, he started studying viticulture and enology at first. After a few classes he realized it wasn’t the route for him.

“After one semester I made the decision to dual major in fruit and vegetable management and field crop management,” Berger says. “Once I got into my major’s core classes I was totally amazed. I had become immersed in classes with professors who truly loved teaching and excelled at it.”

Sauk Farm derives its namesake from the Sauk Mountain, which it is conveniently located at the base of. This location is strategic, as the soil around the area is rich with tons of microfauna and nutrients, largely due to being at the junction of the Skagit and Sauk Rivers. Berger says this results in bountiful amounts of soil perfect for growing organic crops, with the soil’s organic matter content reaching between eight to 10 percent.

Berger prides himself on producing fruit at Sauk Farm that is nutrient dense and of a very high quality. Sauk Farm is certified organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and is in the process of ensuring that all of their apples and grapes transition into organic crops.

Berger says it is good to grow crops organically because it is better for everyone involved in the process. “Growing crops organically requires using only inputs derived from natural products and managing inputs and operations in a way that considers environmental health and sustainability,” Berger says.

Berger’s crops are grown with what’s best for the environment in mind, aiming to impact the surrounding environment as little as possible. All of their organic apples and grapes are grown in an ethical and sustainable manner. There are many facets that go into producing Sauk’s high-quality organic produce, such as soil quality, pest control, microfauna diversity and frequent nutritional tests.

One of the important aspects to improve and encourage healthy nutrient intake for his fruit, is to plant cover crops that will benefit the growth of his apples and grapes. Cover crops such as white clover, barley, mustard and ryegrass are grown between the apple trees and grapevines. These cover crops attract native pollinating insects, which promote healthy growth for Berger’s crops.

It isn’t always easy to manage cover crops though. Berger says they can be problematic and must be managed properly. These crops must be planted at the right time and have enough time to establish for the apples and grapes to reap the full benefits.

“It is incredibly important to attract native pollinators to support natural biodiversity on your farm and to ensure successful pollination of crops,” Berger says.

He says different crops require different amounts and kinds of pollination. For example, apples require cross pollination by bees or other natural pollinators in order to set fruit. And native pollinators such as mason bees and bumble bees are much more effective pollinators than the Italian Honeybee, which is the typical bee seen in commercial honey operations.

Currently, Sauk Farm only sells their wine grapes and apples but they are working on crafting new products using their crops, which will soon be up for sale. Berger has apple chips, wine and various kinds of fruit juice in the works. All Sauk Farm juice contains one hundred percent fruit and no additives. Their apple and grape cider will be available in the fall and they are looking to roll out plum and peach cider down the road.

Sauk Farm was recently selected to receive Community Food Co-op Next Step Project funds. According to Community Food Co-op Farm Fund Coordinator, Jean Rogers, “The Community Food Co-op Farm Fund was happy to provide Sauk Farm a grant because of their strong farming background and potential for providing local, organic apples and fruit. The Farm Fund’s Next Step Project acts like primer to fuel the leap from small to mid-scale farming, and it’s especially exciting to support innovative young farmers who are the future of our food system. The entire community wins when we invest in our farms and the people who grow our food.”

Having only been in business for a little over a year, Sauk Farm is making leaps and bounds to becoming a favorite among fruit producers in Western Washington. By using ethical and organic farming practices to ensure their customers get a high-quality product, Berger and team have garnered a consumer base that will only continue to grow as they roll out new products created with their fruit crops. “We look forward to supporting the growth of Sauk Farm,” said Rogers, “and making their high quality fruit and products available in our local markets.”

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