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One of Vermont's most absurdly picturesque villages (Cue the blacksmith shop! Cue the covered bridge!), Grafton was a busy center for the wool, leather and timber trades in the early 19th century and wassurrounded by dairy farms. Today the town endures as a living museum, and the cheese company as its most mouthwatering exhibit. As it produces 5,200 pounds of cheese a day, it's hardly a small-time operation, but it still bears a resemblance to a family-run shop: Head cheesemaker Scott Fletcher employs the same techniques his predecessors have used since 1892, slowly crafting each batch by hand. A pound of Cheddar requires a full 10 pounds of Jersey cow milk, delivered from small farms throughout Vermont. From a viewing area, visitors get an up close look at the process: Giant, moist bricks of curd are run through a slicing harp; the curd is salted (and sometimes seasoned) before it is stirred into a giant vat. It's pressed and shaped into rounds, then cooled, cured and aged for up to six years."
