Brazos Valley Cheese, at FM 933 and Dry Creek Road, is part of the Homestead Craft Village Community, known for its crafts, stone-ground flour and artisan cheese.

Marc Kuehl adds a firming agent to a vat of chilled whole milk for processing into fresh mozzarella cheese.
Photo by Rod Aydelotte

Marc Kuehl manages day-to-day operations of the cheesemaking process, along with Rebeccah Durkin, who has been making cheese for 10 years. Another employee, Rebekah Deines, has 12 years’ experience.

Since 2005, the operation has gone from a simple, low-volume production, with cheese made in a 36-gallon cauldron to the 200-gallon capacity pasteurizer used today. After several years building the business by investing in equipment and product, Marc said Brazos Valley Cheese is finally making a profit. The cheesemaker has many varieties, including blueberry Havarti, roasted garlic Montasio and horseradish pecan cheddar. Another is the fresh mozzarella featured in this month’s recipe for “Margherita French bread with garlic oil” (link: click here).

The Homestead Restaurant and Bakery uses the cheese in many of its recipes, and take-home portions are available at the deli.

Brazos Valley Cheese has several wholesale customers in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, as well as local clientele. Marc is often busy making delivery runs up and down Interstate 35.

Later this month, Brazos Valley Cheese will participate in the American Cheese Society competition in Seattle.

Marc said they will enter nine cheeses in the competition: Brie, blue, Havarti, Van Sormon, marinated feta, Swiss, Muenster, Le Jardin and Brazos Select.

The Van Sormon cheese, a new variety, will soon be available for purchase. Marc said it started out as a mistake of sorts. It is somewhat similar to Swiss, but is infused with vanilla, sorghum and cinnamon.