Wholesale buyers, retailers, and all industry professionals will be able to visit cheese producers at their sites for an industry-only tour day.

See unique spaces first-hand and meet cheesemakers in intimate settings in our 13 tours offered around the state – just for our industry peeps! (Note: tours have limited capacities, and we recommend purchasing your Summit tickets as early as you are able. We may add more tour capacity at a later date, but we recommend attendees do not wait to sign up for tours.)

See full tour site listing

• Maximum two tours per attendee; limited attendance at each
• Please don’t select tours that have less than 3 hours between start times; do select tours in adjacent regions of VT
• Downloadable Farm & Facility Tour Map (including farm addresses and milk type)
• Important Farm & Facility Navigation Tips (including travel time matrix)

Sunday will offer 2 education sessions, 1 interactive group discussion for our whole community, and time for one-on-one sampling and conversation with Vermont’s cheese producers. 

This is a great opportunity for industry buyers to network with each other, cheese producers, and distributors!

Sunday Schedule

• 8:45 AM — Arrival and Coffee
• 9:15 AM —  Welcome
• 9:30 AM —  Panel Presentation: Sustainable Packaging – Get updates from cheese producers who have received recent grant projects to explore sustainable packaging options. Hear about challenges, successes, and unexpected findings! Presenters:   Eliza Leeper, Vermont Creamery; Jessica Riley, Cabot Creamery Cooperative; Zoe Brickley, Jasper Hill; Lucas Farrell, Big Picture; Facilitator:  Jed Davis, Cabot Creamery Cooperative
• 10:30 AM — Industry Group Discussion: Collaborations to Help Us All – We’d like to have group discussion about how we can all work together better.  What do you need and want from cheese producers to help you better sell and market their cheese?  What parts of the marketing and distribution system work well right now – and where do you wish it worked better? Are there things that you love about what works for you in your workplace or that you need help with to do better?  What do cheese producers need help with too and how you can be a champion of their products?  Facilitators: Marty Mundy, Executive Director & Claire Natola, Education Coordinator – Vermont Cheese Council
• 11:15 AM-2 PM — Sampling Tent Open for Tastings & Conversation with Cheese Producers and Lunch
• 2 PM –  Panel Presentation: Day in the Life … Get a peek into the every day life of being a cheesemaker!  We’ll talk kidding and lambing…ice storms…hay choices…and more! Presenters:  Liz Bleakley, Good Hands Creamery; Carleton Yoder, Champlain Valley Creamery; Parish Hill Creamery;
• 2:45 PM — Closing Remarks

Sunday Education Day & Sampling Location:  Basin Harbor Resort, 4800 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, Vermont

Cost: $120 for the whole weekend. Capacity is limited; we recommend purchasing as soon as you are able!