European Cheesemaking Flourishes at MouCo in Colorado

Cutting curds at MouCo photo credit MouCo

Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains lay one of Colorado’s best-kept secrets: a Bavarian cheesemaker with a passion not only for cheesemaking, but a commitment to community and local non-profits. MouCo, founded in 2001 by Birgit Halbreiter and Robert Poland in Fort Collins, Colorado, is a creamery specializing in soft ripened cow’s milk cheeses made with fresh milk from a dairy just 20 minutes away. Their story is one of family, community, and the blending of Bavarian traditions and Colorado creativity.

History of MouCo

Colorouge racks at MouCo — Colorouge racks photo credit MouCo

It all starts in Halbreiter’s youth, when she worked alongside her father, Franz Halbreiter, at Kaserei Champignon in Bavaria, Germany. He oversaw the Camembert department, and this is where she learned the true Bavarian soft-ripened cheesemaking process. She moved to Boulder, Colorado, where she started a job at New Belgium Brewing, a maker of Belgian inspired craft beers since March of 1991. There, she met her husband, Robert Poland. Together, they built their own fermentation business, Mouco.

Sustainability

Draining whey at MoucCo photo credit MouCo

Halbreiter and Poland share a passion for environmental standards and community that shines through in their efforts at Mouco Creamery. Their focus is making great cheese while reducing environmental impact and they give back to the Fort Collins community. When not at the cheesery, their energy goes towards many causes, including the local food bank and other food initiatives, as well as children’s nutrition and education.

One idea is at the forefront of their business: creating good cheeses from sustainable local milk. Colorado is a very arid mountainous state. If you haven’t visited, think of vast dry plains with very little greenery. The climate here is more suited to goats or sheep, and there are very few cow dairies in the state. As such, the cows are not grass-fed at any part of the year. For some, this might be a negative. But for Halbreiter, it means consistency in her product. Without grass to feed on, the cows get a similar diet all year round, leading to less changes in milk produced, as well as consistent flavor. There is a slight change in the summer, when temperatures can reach 100°F and the cows are drinking more water, but it is subtle.

Soft Ripened Cheeses

Since MouCo makes only soft ripened cheeses, they each start from the same base: their Camembert. Milk is carefully heated in pasteurization vats, then poured into their curdling vats, mixed with 100% veal rennet and Penicillium camemberti, and then eventually cut and drained into molds after the coagulation has finished. Soft ripened cheeses use large curds to create a silky smooth texture, which makes it extra important to be gentle during this whole process. These curds are then set to the side to drain off excess whey for a few days, before being sent to the aging room to ripen. This is where the classic white rind appears. After a few weeks, they are packed up and ready to be sent off. This flagship cheese is firm and tart when young, and a little nuttier as the weeks go by. At its most mature stage, it develops “a buttery richness with a strong, smooth flavor that is perfect when paired with fine crackers and a bit of fruit.”

The next cheese on their line up is the Colorouge, which is named after the red color it gets from the washing process. After the initial cheesemaking, some wheels are set aside to become this washed rind beauty. They will be carefully smeared with a culture that encourages different microbes to grow and transform the curds into Colorouge. This cheese is my favorite, and it all comes down to terroir. This French word refers to the idea that things that have grown in a specific region take on certain flavors unique to that area. Colorouge is the perfect example of Colorado terroir. To me, it brings images of stepping out onto a farmhouse porch at a quiet summer’s dawn. It’s meaty, farmy, dewy, and oh so smooth. Perfect for a nice salami and some whole grain mustard.

Ashley is the ash rind cheese in their line up, and it’s not just for color. The process of adding vegetable ash to the cheese changes the pH, creating a softer wheel. There is a much more vegetal taste reminiscent of asparagus or Brussels sprouts, but with a buttery sweet finish. It goes wonderfully with a nice whiskey salami or prosciutto. They say it “hums with flavor and soul” at the ripe age of 7-8 weeks. This is where Ashley is at its peak. It develops a lot more sweetness as well as a deep cream line due to the ash on the rind. When compared to a 4 week wheel, there is much more flavor that characterizes this cheese perfectly.

From there, you have the cheeses with added flavors. Truffelo is their Camembert with black truffle flakes introduced before pouring into the molds. The inherent mushroom flavors from the Camembert pair well with the robust black truffle. PepBert is a seasonal cheese made only from April to June, with whole green peppercorns added. This calls back to a Barvarian tradition of adding these peppercorns to cheeses, and it shines through in this Camembert. They suggest this one melted over a burger or anywhere else you would use pepper jack cheese.

A Fort Collins Treasure

From their love of good food to their philanthropic endeavors, these makers have become a major part of the Fort Collins artisanal scene. They give back to the community through education programs and supporting local food causes, as well as creating good food from sustainable local businesses. If you see these cheeses in your local store, be sure to pick some up and enjoy a Colorado treasure.