Monteverde Cheese Factory
Monteverde cheese is acclaimed throughout Costa Rica. The Cheese Factory is located in the heart of the Monteverde Community and a trip to the factory store is a Monteverde must-do. Visitors can buy - or simply try - several varieties of cheese as well as locally produced cured meats, hams and sausages, cream and milk, caramels and, not to be missed, Monteverde ice creams and milkshakes!
The factory has always been an integral part of the Monteverde community, its history closely intertwined with the history of the area itself. In 1951 a group of Quaker families from Fairhope, Alabama, came to the area seeking a peaceful place to live in keeping with their pacifist religious beliefs. Costa Rica, which had recently abolished its army, was an ideal choice. They settled here on the mountain, naming their community Monteverde or Green Mountain, after the lush cloud forest vegetation covering its slopes.
These families began making their living by farming dairy cattle and in 1953 opened the Monteverde Cheese Factory. Initially the factory employed only two workers and produced around 10kg of cheese daily, using milk from the Quaker family farms. However, within two years the factory began receiving milk from other farms in the zone, creating an important cash economy for this rural area. The company – Productores de Monteverde SA. – now works with over 250 farms within the zone, employs around 160 local people and produces approximately 1550kg of cheese per day.
The first Monteverde cheese to be produced was a Gouda, this was actually the first pasteurised cheese to be made in Costa Rica. Over the years the range of cheeses produced has expanded to include 17 different varieties, among them a lower fat option, Monte Rico, as well as several European varieties; Emmental, Swiss, a smoked provolone, smoked with local coffee wood and even a parmesan. The factory also makes delicious ice creams using local natural flavourings such as coffee, coconut, mango and orange and pineapple.
The cheeses and ice creams produced in Monteverde are now sold all over Costa Rica and exported to several Central American countries. The Productores de Monteverde SA. truck is a familiar sight on Costa Rican highways.
In keeping with the Quaker community’s belief in environmental responsibility and in working in harmony with nature, the factory has established an innovative water treatment facility and waste management system which involves extracting the whey by-product and donating it to the local pig farm as food!
The factory offers a bilingual tour, in which visitors are given a personal tour of the community’s fascinating history as well as learning about dairy farming in Costa Rica, the cheese making process and environmentally friendly waste disposal solutions, before sampling the infamous cheeses and ice creams.
Tours leave daily at 9am and 2pm, last around 1.5 hours and cost $8 for Adults, $6 for students. For reservations or more info, email: cheesefactory@monteverdeinfo.com .
