Great quality grass-fed milk is the key to Alemar's award-winning cheese

Cheese is not Keith Adams’ first career. He launched Alemar (named for his daughters, Alexandra and Mari) in 2008 with one French-inspired cheese on offer, a Camembert-style cheese called Bent River. Just two years into production, Alemar began winning awards and soon after that, the company began creating other cheeses.

Today, the lineup includes Good Thunder, a funky washed rind number; Blue Earth, a buttery and rich Brie-style bloomy rind; Fromage Blanc, which is an incredible base for sweet or savory spreads; fresh cheese curds (naturally); and Sakatah, which is wrapped in grape or chestnut leaves before aging.

The key to Alemar’s cheese, aside from the skill of Craig Hageman, the company’s head cheesemaker, is that they only use local milk from grass-fed cows. After we visited the Alemar production facility at Food Building, we headed to Corstar Farms, where Cory and Kristen Salzl care for a small heard of Milking Shorthorn cattle while balancing full-time jobs and a young son.

Alemar Cheese
1401 Marshall Street NE, Minneapolis MN
612.315.4609