"Maker of the award-winning Rogue River Blue, the first American-produced cheese to take World’s Best Cheese at the World Cheese Awards in Italy, this southern Oregon creamery exemplifies rising U.S. excellence while also demonstrating the fragility of small producers: employees lost homes in recent wildfires, cows had to be evacuated, and the operation — like many artisan makers — faces mounting pressures from climate change, outdated regulations, and the pandemic." - Jaya Saxena