Farmer Focus: Young Farmers Create Opportunity with Aged Cheese
October 18, 2021
When Kevin Lussier and his wife Shelby came back to the family dairy in Hawthorne, FL in 2016 after graduating from college, they saw an opportunity for innovation and sustainability with artisanal cheese. They now operate Hawthorne Creek Creamery and sell a selection of four cheeses made with milk from their specialty herd of Jerseys. Sustainability, both in their supply chain and on the dairy itself, is a priority for the operation, Kevin says.
“I think sustainability is an amazing thing and something that every dairy farmer would tell you is what they want to focus on, but if we’re not economically sustainable, we can’t become environmentally sustainable,” Kevin says.
In the latest Farmer Focus, Lussier shares the challenges that came with starting a business right before the pandemic and the successes they have found in selling to their community and to consumers across the state.
For more Farmer Focus stories, co-sponsored by NMPF and the FARM Program, check out NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page, which also includes its Dairy Defined thought-leadership series and CEO’s Corner, a monthly column from NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern.
