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European Union in 2007 . "That was a catalyst for us, really," Plowman said. Consumer demand for the blue cheeses drove production, and Rogue Creamery's cheesemakers were inspired to see what else they might be able to do. Crater Lake Blue was created in 2004. Smokey Blue won a Trend Innovation Award at SIAL in 2005 as the first smoked blue and then came the award for Outstanding New Product at the 2005 Summer Fancy Food Show. "That became almost an instant best seller," Plowman said. "We now had two cheeses with international reputations." Then the creamery created Flora Nelle Blue Cheese, an organic cheese created especially to comply with Australia's refusal to allow imports of raw milk cheeses. "We were looking to create a cheese for the Australian market that was the same fine quality as our other products," Plowman said. "That was also a catalyst for us to learn how to make some of the best pasteurized blue cheeses." In 2012 Flora Nelle was selected as the Outstanding Organic Product at the Summer Fancy Food Show. Next up for Rogue Creamery was Caveman Blue, a natural rind cheese with a lot of the flavor profile of Rogue River Blue, but it's available year-round, while Rogue River Blue Cheese is always sold out before the winter holidays because in keeping with Rogue Creamery's tradition for cheese production, it's only made during the six-week period in late fall after the first rains of the season as a celebration of the autumnal equinox and the rich milk coming in at that time. Keeping the tradition means that the supply of Rogue River Blue doesn't necessarily keep up with demand, and after Rogue River Blue is sold out for the season, Caveman Blue is still available. "I think that all of these things built on the others," Plowman said. "Ig Vella as Master Cheesemaker made great cheeses, and then the new owners really innovated from that platform." "That's been our niche for more than 10 years," he continued. "We really focused on certain cheeses. We've had a lot of requests to make others, but the facility is dedicated to making the world's finest hand-made cheeses. Product diversification is great, but we're not going to start making Gouda or some other kind of cheese. We want to do what we do and be the best at it." Organic Valley Founded in 1988, Organic Valley is best known for an entire range of USDA- certified organic dairy products that includes Cheddar, Jack and block mozzarella cheeses sold from the self-service cases at natural and mainstream grocers, but the company also makes the delicious Kickapoo Blue, which is positioned as a specialty cheese. Brand Manager Andrew Westrich says it's one of his favorites. "Sales for Kickapoo are doing well and growing. There's a rising interest in blues in general, and I think it comes from the awakening of America's food palate in the last five to 10 years. Blues offer some of the richest, fullest sensory experiences you can get in a cheese," he said. "Chefs and consumers are looking for full sensory experiences. Blues offer a wonderful juxtaposition of flavors and colors from the creamy white of the cheese to the tangy, salty notes from the blue-green Penicillium roqueforti mold used in our Kickapoo Blue and in many of the world's best blue cheeses. You can see the texture on the plate and feel it in the mouth, and they offer a continuum of flavor beyond that of other cheeses." Kickapoo Blue presents a mild, creamy taste of the base cheese followed by the rich earthiness of the mold and finishes with a salty tang. "It's almost like a primal experience," Westrich said. "Other specialty cheeses offer complex flavor profiles, but blue cheeses offer a very unique, even more dynamic experience that changes from start to finish." Kickapoo Blue is unique because it's made in southwestern Wisconsin from milk that comes from organic family farms from the Driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota. The landscape of

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