The Plymouth Cheese Factory/Frog City Cheese Company located at the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Village in Plymouth Notch has lost its lease, and the State of Vermont has seen fit to evict them (and their inventory - cheeses not yet ready for sale) from their current digs.
Plymouth Cheese was established in 1891, by John Calvin Coolidge, sr. (the president's father), and for many years remained under the ownership of the president's son, John. The cheese is unique, a kind of Colby with a mild cheddary tang and small interior holes that is in the company of those regional cheeses which define their place, both in location and in history: Parmesan Reggiano to Parma and Reggio Emilia, Italy; Roquefort to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France; Cabot cheddar to Cabot, Vermont (since 1919). These cheeses haven't hurt the tourist trade one bit.
It's true that Tom Gilbert (owner/cheesemaker) fell behind in his lease payments and "words" were exchanged between himself and the State overseer, straining the relationship; the Frogs were told to take a hike because, well, the State can do whatever they want to, so long as it's legal.
Tom's not the only cheesemaker to ever fall behind in his rents. I've done it. I'm not proud of it. When a repair bill comes in high, or a mouse ruins $10,000 of inventory, or the tax bill is $7,000 more than I set aside, something has got to give. I borrow from myself sometimes, and exhausting that, I have let the rent slide. Fortunately, I have a more forgiving landlord.
I make raw-milk cheese like he does, so I understand the process; wheels have to age at least 60 days. We wait up to an additional 15-45 days for payment from buyers (sometimes longer). Sometimes we stop for a week if it is too cold in winter. Cheese sales typically slow to a crawl from late December to March, which can create a negative cash flow/sucking sound. At least, I don't have any employees to pay.
Small cheesemakers don't have economies of scale on our side, and we make singular non-commodity type cheeses that command a higher price. We may occasionally be cranky towards official persons with benefits, vacations, nice shoes, and regular paychecks telling us what to do. We certainly cannot be called dispassionate about what we develop, make, and sell ourselves.
So what's up with this termination notice? Does the State really need $1,000 a month paid on time, or are they just being pricks? They've been dropping hints that they may not want cheesemaking to continue at the site at all! To them, there's no difference between a tourist looking at an empty building, or (gasp) one staffed with re-enactors and mannequins.
So it turns out this may not be merely about Frog City and their woes, it may be about an administration with no desire to keep a food unique to Plymouth, Vermont, available for sale.
Tom Gilbert was granted a three-month reprieve - but if his payments are current (like he says), he may not be the only one getting a raw deal.
