Sweet Grass Dairy, an award-winning cheesemaker and one of the largest Southern artisan cheese brands, announces a new focus on bringing access to its handcrafted cheeses made with milk from barn-free cows to retail customers. Co-owners Jessica and Jeremy Little, who purchased the creamery from Jessica’s parents in 2005, remain dedicated to their independent, family-operated business while producing premium handcrafted cheeses honoring the company’s mission and unique origins in South Georgia.
Since moving into their new creamery in 2021, Sweet Grass Dairy has been committed to not only increasing the quality of their handcrafted cheeses but also providing a wider retail distribution. With this line extension, they have focused on delivering award-winning cheeses that are not only delicious but also consistent in size and weight. Their goal was to create a solution that would simplify the cheese-buying experience by providing convenience and offering an accessibility solution to more retailers that no longer can operate a cut-and-wrap cheese program. With future plans to further expand this line, Sweet Grass Dairy has decided to start with the release of their award-winning Thomasville Tomme and Griffin in 5-ounce exact-weight pieces. The new case pack consists of 16 5 oz wedges that can be received and immediately placed directly on the shelves without having to be weighed and stickered. The back label includes pairing suggestions, awards, and a QR code for customers to scan to see recipes on their website while still grocery shopping.
“We are thrilled to expand our offerings by introducing exact-weight pieces of our Thomasville Tomme and Griffin cheeses,” states co-owner Jessica Little. “At Sweet Grass Dairy, one of our founding goals, inspired by my mother's belief, is to ensure that everyone has access to wholesome food and the opportunity to understand the origins of our foods. Unfortunately over the last few years, labor and market conditions have restricted many retailers from providing cut and wrap services in-store. Through the availability of exact-weight cheeses, we aim to offer more artisan cheese choices to customers if they want to support small, family farms like ours in their local grocery stores.”
Sweet Grass Dairy, located in Thomasville, Georgia, was founded in 2000 by Al and Desiree Wehner. Sweet Grass Dairy is now a second-generation family business owned and operated by Jessica and Jeremy Little. The creamery produces handcrafted cow's milk cheeses, which have won over 35 awards, including its popular Green Hill cheese, which is a ten-time award winner at the American Cheese Society Conference, and its best-selling Thomasville Tomme.