Long-time local cheesemaker closes up shop
Yellow Branch – Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with developing an expression that dates to 1374, “Everything has an end.”
This observation is certainly true regarding the Yellow Branch Cheese Farm, which closed its cheese production farm at the end of February.
Opened to the public for around 38 years, Karen Mickler and Bruce Degroot have been sharing their love for farming with the community – and the world at large – since they acquired a 50-acre homestead in the Yellow Branch Cove area of Graham County in 1980. Having the desire to produce food for their table and a fresh supply of milk for their own use, they bought a Jersey milk cow, “Rosebud.”
They quickly realized that “Rosebud” was a great milk producer and found themselves making cheese with the excess milk.
The farm had been purchased with the intent of raising organic vegetables for the restaurant trade – but soon after purchasing several more cows, the farm began producing and selling cheese. Mickler attended classes at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Guelph in Ontario to learn the art of cheese making.
There were just a handful of farms making cheese in the United States at the time. “Farm-to-Table” was on the cusp of the Slow Food Movement, and cheese farming was a new frontier. Yellow Branch Farm became the third cheese farm in the state of North Carolina.
In 1986, the farm was licensed to produce and sell their cheese. Mickler and Degroot became pioneers in artisan cheese. They were the fourth licensed cheesemakers in the state.
Degroot handled the farm work, milking and cheesemaking, while Mickler and Degroot both attended to marketing, production and sales.
Yellow Branch cheeses were made by hand in small batches from an original recipe that Mickler developed and Degroot refined.
The distinctive flavor of the handcrafted cheese was the result of high-quality fresh milk, and no added preservatives or mold inhibitors were added to their cheeses. It was sold all over the United States.
In addition to the cheese farm, Mickler also found time to make pottery.
The Yellow Branch Pottery Studio opened its doors in 1983. Degroot built the studio on the farm for Mickler and the pottery business was expanded to retail. The studio was used to create a variety of pottery, including table wares, lamps, oven ware, planters, luminaries, sculptures and ornaments. Visitors to the farm could enjoy watching Mickler on the potter’s wheel, creating functional stoneware that was available for purchase.
As with many businesses in 2020, the pandemic left its mark on the cheese farm. With a large supply of cheese on hand, they quit making it for a while, and Degroot went back to his first passion: woodworking. The pottery studio was sold in 2021.
It is now operating as Silverbelle Pottery.
In January 2023, Degroot had an accident and is still in the process of recovering. He was no longer able to keep up the face pace of farm life and the cows were eventually sold.
DeGroot and Mickler taught themselves to make cheese and then they shared their love of farm and food with their community. They were instrumental in the arts and crafts drive about sponsored by the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center.
“It has been a wonderful experience being part of the craft community in Graham County,” Mickler shared. “We have enjoyed our life here. Bruce is still recovering from his accident, but we have a great life and we love being a part of this community. We built a great business and sold cheese all over.”