The Farm at Doe Run Has Released a New “Mayfly” Cheese to Protect Streams and Rivers
December 12, 2017
Cheese lovers have a new reason to celebrate this holiday season: The Farm at Doe Run — which won Gold at the 2016 World Cheese Awards in San Sebastian, Spain, and second prize for best in show at the American Cheese Society’s 2016 and 2017 conferences — has released a new cheese in support of clean fresh water around the world.
The Mayfly Cheese is named in honor of the delicate winged creatures that fly above healthy streams and rivers; they’re what Stroud Water Research Center scientists call the canary in the coal mine: when the mayflies disappear, it’s a good sign clean water has disappeared too.
The Farm at Doe Run is donating 10 percent of proceeds from the cheese to the Stroud Center. The Stroud Center, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, is an independent, nonadvocacy nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing knowledge and stewardship of fresh water through scientific research, environmental education, and watershed restoration — worldwide.
Stroud Center Executive Director Dave Arscott said, “We have a long history of partnering with farmers and landowners to plant streamside forests and implement other practices on land that will benefit the water quality in streams and provide a healthier habitat for the fish and other organisms living in them. The Farm at Doe Run is one of those partners. The Mayfly Cheese, produced using sustainable farming practices, is the perfect way to celebrate and fund this work.”
The Farm at Doe Run is situated along Sharitz Run, a small tributary of Doe Run, which in turn feeds into Brandywine Creek — Wilmington, Delaware’s drinking-water supply. Although currently listed as an impaired stream by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, recent watershed restoration work guided by the Stroud Center at The Farm at Doe Run and other sites owned by cooperating landowners has greatly improved water quality. The Stroud Center has also helped the effort by planting 6,000 trees in the watershed. The long-term goal is to restore a viable brook trout fishery to Sharitz Run.
Cheesemaker Samuel Kennedy said, “We love the idea that Stroud Water Research Center is located right here in our own backyard and has long been recognized nationally and internationally for their freshwater research, education, and watershed restoration programs that help affect water quality and availability around the world. Their dedication to our local water system is remarkable, providing necessary research and programs to ensure the future of clean healthy water, our ecosystem, and farming.”
Just a 10-minute drive from the farm, the Stroud Center provides educational programs about streamside reforestation, riparian forest buffers, and their Leaf Pack Network® for students and tour groups.
In a formal statement, the farm’s creamery team announced, “Clean healthy water is essential to healthy communities, and we are honored to be working to help repair streams in our area with the help of the highly skilled scientists at the Stroud Center. Our support for local environmental organizations is just one way in which we are committed to building a healthier landscape for us all.”
The Mayfly is a Camembert-style cheese with a bloomy rind and is inspired by The Farm at Doe Run’s Normandy milk from their grass-fed herd and the beauty of tradition. It is available at the following retailers:
- 320 Market in Swarthmore and Media, Pennsylvania
- Cornerstone in Wayne, Pennsylvania
- Country Butcher in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
- Triple Fresh in East Fallowfield, Pennsylvania
- Terrain in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
- Glen’s Garden Market in Washington, DC
- The Dabney in Washington, DC
About Stroud Water Research Center
Stroud Water Research Center advances knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration and to help businesses, landowners, policymakers, and individuals make informed decisions that affect water quality and availability around the world. Stroud Water Research Center is an independent, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
About The Farm at Doe Run
The Farm at Doe Run is based on the philosophy of simple sustainable farming. Our state-, national-, and international-award-winning creamery team works to produce creative, quality farmstead cheeses in beautiful Chester County, Pennsylvania, using milk solely from our three on-site milking herds. We take great pride in our products to reflect the bounty of the seasons while being true stewards of the land.
