Monteverde Cheese Factory

The Monteverde Cheese Factory or La Lecheria is located in the town of Monteverde, Costa Rica.  Founded way before the area became a tourist haven, The Cheese Factory is integral to nearly every part of the local economy.  Founded in 1953 by a group of Quaker ex-patriots that had settled in  the area as a protest of the Korean war draft in the United States, the project began with a mere fifty Jersey cows and the desire to start a new life in a new country.  As it turns out, the cool, wet climate of the cloud forest proved ideal for the production of all things dairy.  The Cheese Factory originally had only two employees and was able to only produce about 10kg a day using milk from local Quaker family farms.  This slow start was only the beginning- the Cheese Factory made over ten million dollars last year, employs over 1100 local people (nearly ten per cent of the local population) and touches the local economy as well as the national one.  Over two hundred and fifty local dairy farmers produce milk that is used in products produced at the factory.  The Productores de Monteverde SA trucks are regularly seen on the highways all over Costa Rica, as well as neighboring countries, delivering the high quality and diverse dairy products that have become the standard of the Monteverde Cheese Factory. 



The first cheese produced was a Gouda, which remains a favorite, but now there are nearly twenty cheeses produced regularly.  The factory also produces delicious ice creams, flavored with local flavors, such as mango, pineapple, orange and coffee.  The inventory has grown to also include cured meats, hams, caramels and sausages, among other things.