Why Cheese

In order to remain profitable, some family farms are turning their high-quality milk into artisan cheese. But because they are small businesses, they've struggled to access markets. That's where we come in!

Equal Exchange has initiated partnerships with small-scale dairy farmers. These partners share a commitment to animal welfare, to ecologically responsible practices, and to the maintenance of rural communities. If they hire workers outside the immediate family, they treat those workers respectfully and pay them fairly.

Red Barn Of Wisconsin

Red Barn is a network of 10 small family farms in Wisconsin. The network was started by a veterinarian, so there's a special emphasis on treating the animals humanely and giving high priority to their health. Each Red Barn farm has 75 or fewer dairy cows, a scale that allows each farming family to care for a herd with minimal outside labor, and treat each cow as an individual!