Rogue River Cheese Now Available In Europe

AGRICULTURE 

By Anna King

Eugene, OR  March 24, 2008 12:09 p.m.

The first American raw milk cheese to cross the Atlantic and enter European markets is from Southern Oregon. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald reports.
 
Rogue River Bleu won the title of “Best Bleu Cheese in the World” at the 2003 World Cheese Awards in London. Now more than 4 years later, Londoners can find the cheese at local markets.

Frances Plowman is in charge of Marketing for Rogue Creamery in Central Point, near Medford. He says the U.S. didn’t even have regulations in place to send raw milk cheeses abroad, that’s why it took so long.
 
Plowman: “It’s the culmination of 3 or 4 years of jumping through a lot of hoops. It’s a very difficult thing to do particularly in this post-9/11 era and it took a great deal of persistence and a lot of people to really help us with this.”
 
The cheese is now being sold in two stores in London.  It’s expected to be sent to Holland and France in April, then Italy and Spain in the fall.  I’m Rachael McDonald in Eugene.

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