This month’s partner spotlight is a local favorite we’re very excited to be adding to the Pappy & Company collection.Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, based in Barren County, KY is a 300 acre, farmstead cheese making operation founded by the Mattingly family in the late 1970’s. They make a variety of delicious products from fresh soft cheeses to cheddars that are aged for years and sell in retail and specialty shops, but the majority of their cheeses can be found on restaurant menus across the country. We’re lucky to have worked with them on one of our latest launches that pairs two of our most favorite things: bourbon and cheese. The Pappy & CompanyGourmet Cheese Board Set includes two types of Kenny’s cheeses, a box of Roots & Branches artisan crackers, our Jason Cohen wood barrel cutting board and a pack of our Pappy Hour napkins. It really is the perfect pairing for any cheese enthusiast.
The connection was an easy one as Van Campbell, Director of Sales for Kenny’s, is our cousin so it was only a matter of time before family ties brought us together to create this perfect pairing. But it was more than family ties that made us fall in love with Kenny’s cheeses. First off is their dedication to sustaining the family farm, something we appreciate and value when it comes to family heritage and tradition. Their number one goal is to sustain the family dairy farm because a lot of dairy farms that can’t add value to their milk with products like butter, ice cream, yogurt, etc are going out of business.
Not a lot of people know this, but this has been going on for a long time, starting with the smallest dairies and working its way up. We are currently in the midst of another milk crisis now in Kentucky due to Walmart getting in the game and disrupting traditional milk distribution channels - and smaller dairies like Kenny’s are going out of business left and right. Making cheese helps them avoid this situation and by sharing their cheese and the farm experience, brings attention to some of the issues that farmers in the United States deal with on a daily basis.
Kenny’s cheeses are not your run of the mill offerings you’ll find at your local grocer. Over the years they have developed “signature” recipes with unique formats unlike any other cheeses you have tried. Because they are farmstead and the cows are eating forage from our land, the cheeses represents the terroir of the land. In the case of the two cheeses selected for this collaboration, one a cave aged white cheddar and the other a soft double cream, both pull from this earthy flavor to create a one of a kind flavor we know cheese lovers will be huge fans of.
Next up? Kenny’s has already done a couple of short-run cheeses washed in bourbon which would be the most obvious collaboration. Or better yet, perhaps we attempt to age some cheeses in bourbon barrels. Stay tuned for where this partnership goes. For now, be sure to checkout ourGourmet Cheese Board Set and let us know what you think.
And in the meantime, if you find yourself in the area be sure to visit the farm or maybe even stay the night. Customers are now able to be guests, where you can get away and also be immersed in the day to day of a working dairy farm/cheesemaking operation. They’ve added two separate apartments for guest accommodations and sometime have chefs come and visit too. For more info, visitkennyscheese.com/stay-with-us/
Love our cheese set? Have ideas for other ideas for cheese lovers we should offer? Be sure to email us atmollie@pappyco.com and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!
