When Charuth van Beuzekom founded Dutch Girl Creamery outside Lincoln, Nebraska in the mid-2000s, there wasn't much in the way of educational resources for a beginning cheesemaker. Charuth shares the story of the grant-funded educational journey to cheesemaking locales around the world that got her started, her friendship with Sue (who was in a similar stage of her business around the same time), and how much her farm—and Nebraska's artisan cheesemaking scene—has changed in the past 20 years. Sue and Stef also ask Charuth about her cheeses, like the award-winning Rosa Maria and Dolle Mina (named for her activist mother), learn about how she and her husband juggle vegetable farming and milking goats, and get the story on how a tragic fire at the farm and creamery in 2021 became an opportunity to reimagine Dutch Girl's farming, cheesemaking, and business operations to be sustainable in a new era. 

Links: 

The famous photo of Charuth's Dutch activist mother with the Dolle Minas: https://publichistory.humanities.uva.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/origineel-1.jpeg (the words on their stomachs mean "my belly is my own")

More on Charuth & Dutch Girl Creamery: https://www.shadowbrk.com/

More on Sue & Birchrun Hills Farm: https://birchrunhillsfarm.com/

More on Stef & Valley Milkhouse: https://www.valleymilkhouse.com/

More on Alex: https://www.alexandrajones.net/