Cato Corner Farm

Pasture walk was a fantastic experience! Seeing the herd up close and learning how well they are treated with staff present to answer questions makes for a experience that is harder to find. We learned about the cows' diet, how they give birth, how they spend their days, and how they were given their names.

5.11.24 What a gem! And I can't believe this was my 1st time here. You get to try the cheeses and then they get you the sizes you need. There are so many amazing cheeses. Plus meats. Breads. Dairy products available. This is one of those #thingstodoinCT where you need to see and taste for yourself.

They make really excellent cheese here. We first heard of them when we had a cheese board with their cheese at Gracie’s in Providence. There is a tiny retail operation at the farm where you try and buy cheese.

My first real experience at a working dairy farm / cheese stand. They were so knowledgeable and accommodating. Had some samples and walked out with some of the best cheese I've ever tasted. Got to meet the cows as well! I'll definitely be going back because their cheeses are seasonal (makes sense due to what the cows are eating at different times of the year). What a great little find!

Great spot for local cheese. They let you try any ones you want and cut to order. Delicious cheeses. They also sell local meat. Great spot and so nice to be able to support local farms.

One of my favorite places to buy some really great fresh cheese and love they let you sample before buying simply delicious 😋

I had never even heard of Cato Corner Farm, but some friends brought us here to do some cheese shopping at the start of a CT Wine Trail tour. What a fantastic find! The young man inside the Cheese Shop was incredibly friendly, eager to offer us samples of a variety of their homemade cheeses, and he was very knowledgeable -- he helped us learn about their farm, the cheese-making process, etc. We were able to purchase some of our favorite cheeses, and then we even had a chance to see some of the younger cows in the barn. We will definitely be back - and next time, we're bringing the kids!

Great cheese! You can taste samples from their menu before buying. I'm definitely returning soon. Great quality.

I'm going to hit you with some cold hard math. Blankety blank percent of the time I'm in a nice restaurant, and they offer a cheese or charc board with CT cheese, that CT Cheese is from Cato Corner. Seriously. Blankety blank percent. That has to say something! I've had Cato Corner cheese in restaurants. I've bought it at farm stands and markets. But I've never had the pleasure of buying it at their Colchester farm. The small shop at the farm has all their cheese and some other items such as (1) CT Maple Syrup, (2) a CT made Manchego Bread that was fresh and satisfying, (3) cute little savory and sweet cracker-cookie hybrids that were a nice counterpoint to the good salty cheeses, (4) various meats in a cooler, and (5) dog treats that my dog, Pasta, loved. It's not the biggest CT produce season right now. Perhaps they have in season produce in the summer as well, but I couldn't say. I bought the Womanchego and Bloomsday cheeses. One would imagine that Womanchego is basically Manchego with a Wo added to the front to be fun. If I tried this cheese without knowing the name. I'm not sure I would have thought it was a Manchego, but it was good. It's a pale yellow, semi-hard and mild cheese, and it has small holes throughout. It was a bit earthy. Buttery. Creamy. Not really sharp. It was a good eating cheese. The Bloomsday looked similar, but it was sharper and seemed saltier in a good way. I'd be more likely to buy the Bloomsday again. In any event, they had probably over 10 cheese varieties in a number of different styles. I'm not sure if they offer cheese samples since nobody seemed to ask for samples while I was there, and I was in a hurry since my son was with me. I'm giving Cato Corner 4.5 Stars, which is partly based upon the fact that it's fun to buy directly from a farm at the farm, and upon the friendly service. You could see cows inside a structure. Wrong or right, that makes me think the milk and cream they use for the cheese is super fresh. Seems like a good bet. Maybe it doesn't matter that much since cheese is aged, but a lot of scoring businesses is how you feel about the presentation of the product. Cato Corner, with its CT farm and cool branding, makes me feel good. So 4.5 Stars.

The cheeses here are among the best in the country, if not the world, and the cheesemongers are more than happy to explain their process, give you sample tastes, and answer any questions you may have. You can tour the farm as well--just watch out for the chickens, and don't fall in love with the cows!

A fantastic place to go for cheese and things to go with it. It was great to stop by the farm and enjoy the quiet, calm atmosphere on a nice August day. The gentleman who we worked with recommended some different cheese options, provided samples and advised us on total quantity for our party size. Would go again.

We drove up to CATO CORNER from Madison on a dreary Friday afternoon and I really didn't know what to expect, I knew there would be wonderful cheese to purchase, but since it was a Friday afternoon I was concerned there would be a large crowd. Fortunately, that was not the case. CATO CORNER FARM is a cute little farm and there were about 4 groups ahead of me to purchase cheese. We have a daughter whose name is BRIGID so the BRIGID's ABBBEY cheese was why we came here. We no longer live in CT, but if we did, we would probably make this trip often.

I cannot say enough great things about this place. I saw a write up about them about a year ago online (don't remember where) and immediately put it on my list of places I want to visit. I then tried the cheese two weeks ago at Gouveia Vineyard (they sell it there now) and knew I had to make the trip. Today I visited and had a smile on my face from the second I got there until I left. The cows are beautiful and you get to go right up to them and pet them if you wish, and walk around the little farm. Cows everywhere - I've never seen such beautiful cows. Legit didn't realize cows were so beautiful. Ducks and roosters and chicken roaming around. So cute. We then got to meet the farm manager and he told us about the different rooms they have to make the cheese, and how important it is to keep that sector of the business separate from the cows and how strict their sanitation is, etc. etc. It was really interesting. He was so willing to share his knowledge of the cows and a little about the farm and what he does. Then the lady at the counter selling cheese was so nice and every cheese I had I loved. The Womanchego is my favorite, but even the feta which normally doesn't have a lot of flavor explodes in your mouth with flavor. Amazing place, amazing staff. Highly recommend.

What a cute little spot and amazing cheese! Stopped here on a cold morning to pick up some cheeses. We were unsure what to get so the ladies hooked us up with a nice sampling to get a feel for what we liked. They were knowledgeable and made some great selections. The cheese was not cheap we spent close to $50 hahahaha BUT we'll worth it and was the talk of our Thanksgiving appetizer board! The shop does all the business outside so dress warmly. I love that it is on the farm and you can see and smell the cows. All cows are jersey cows fyi! They have a different protein profile than normal dairy cows. They also sell some grass fed meats and little local treats.

Love this farm! Right down the road from me. The owners are friendly & welcoming. There's a wide variety of pumpkins in the fall & a cute rustic little shop with things for sale.

I stopped here to grab some cheese after hearing amazing things about it from some friends. The table was cute and had cheese, meat, bread, and some crackers all for sale. The woman at the table was also very friendly and quick to offer suggestions and explain the options. The cheese is expensive but remember that its made there and local! I'd recommend a stop in to try some of the great cheese options.

Wow. Amazing cheese, and amazing staff. We were lucky enough to arrive when it wasn't crowded and could try a variety of cheeses. The lady serving us was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We enjoyed them all for the regular to the stinky. I don't normally like manchego cheese but their womanchego was delicious. Their blue cheese are simply fantastic, the aged one even better. We ended up leaning with three different kinds but I wish I had bought more! We also enjoyed the bread they sell that is Spanish style. It is a perfect pairing with the cheese. We will return when we are in the area again! (They are also right up the road from a brewery! Beer, cheese and bread!)

This is why I love YELP. For the last 15 years, the Cato Corner Farm has been in business. I never heard of them, never read an article about them, never saw a TV profile on them, never heard a buddy talk about them. About a month ago, I finally heard of them when they crossed my screen on YELP one day. It looked like a mega-cool place, I book-marked it, and visited it today. It turned out to be a very cool place indeed. Buried in the Colchester woods, this is a small farm where they make cheese by hand "with raw milk from our 40 cows". They have a tiny store, with wheels of cheese under plastic domes, and they offer samples and sell you quantities of whatever you like. Some of the YELP reviews warned of an unpleasant woman who made the whole tasting and purchase transaction an ordeal, but that wasn't the case today. We met Chris, who offered us a tasting of pretty much everything they had. He was very pleasant, very informative, and had a heavy hand with the samples. Starting with the mild cheeses, he worked his way up to the stronger cheeses (cheddars and blues). They were all very good. We ended up with four purchases of about 1/4 pound each. Our total was $24. One funny story- the cheese menu mentioned quite a few "stinky cheeses" that had a very strong aroma and taste. Of course I wanted to try a sample. We laughed when he left the room to get the sample, because they keep the stinky cheeses in a separate place!! I had a sample that was very strong tasting and kind of gooey. With some Triscuits and a glass of vino -it would be awesome ... They don't have the broadest hours- but as long as the weather is so beautiful why not take a drive to the country some weekend and check it out. Bring a cooler with ice to store your prize, like we did. The Cheese Room Store is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. & Sundays from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

One of the great local farms that does a wonderful job serving this community with some fabulous cheese! We see the Cato Corner tent at the Coventry farmer's market every summer, but this was our first visit to the actual farm. What a cute little shop with all their varieties of cheese and fresh meats and sausages. The women working were very friendly and helpful. We left spending about $50 and were delighted in our purchases! This will definitely be a special stop for us throughout the year!

Visiting the in-laws in CT, and on our way to some breweries, we were told to check this place out. So glad we did. We got there right in time, as we tried multiple cheeses, and a bread someone made in the style of La Mancha region of Spain... The cheeses were amazing. The bread was top notch... the service was off the charts good. The lady who waited on us was awesome and knew all about the cheese and the process behind them. We wound up trying about 10 cheeses and buying 1/2 lb blocks of 4 of them. The cheese here is absolutely epic. The funkier the better. If you are a cheese lover, you have to stop here. The blue cheese, and the super aged cheeses are absolutely amazing.

This is such a great place for cheese. It's a little farm on out of the way back road, and you can see the herd of cows that provide the milk for the cheese. The cheeses are amazing, you can definitely taste the difference from cheese made on a larger scale. A favorite is the dairyere ( a punny name for their version of gruyère)

5 star on the cheese...but only 1 - 2 star service. We went to the area to visit Beltane Farm and the owner there recommended that we stop at Cato Corner on our way home. When we arrived, there was none of the warm hospitality we received at Beltane Farm. People walking around don't acknowledge you. The tasting room is a small room that looks dirty, with a funny smell (not at all like cheese) and lots of flies. The latter part seemed especially weird on a cool fall day. As soon as I saw the cheese display I remembered that we had gotten some fabulous cheese from the farm at the CT wine festival, so I was excited to taste and buy some yummy cheese. But then we waited...and waited...and waited for the woman to finish up a tasting with the people in front of us. She was working alone because someone else called in sick...we got to hear ALL about it. She wasn't great at multi-tasking, so I would have preferred to skip the endless complaining in favor of expediting the service process. We were next in line and about 10 people came in behind us. We only wanted to taste a few cheeses but she decided to do a group tasting, which quickly turned into a fiasco. She decided she didn't have enough of some of the varieties for all of us to have a taste, so you could only taste "if you're interested in buying it." Well...I thought that was the whole point? I'm potentially interested, so I taste and decide. So when I expressed interest in one of the cheeses (not all, just one), she gave me an exasperated sigh, followed by "I told you I don't have enough for everyone to taste it." Okay, I'm one person, not "everyone" and please excuse me, I must have been mistaken when I walked into the "tasting room" that the point was to taste and purchase cheese? We then ended up being the last if the group to be served, missed out on some cheeses that sold out, and just generally could not wait to leave this place. 25 minutes and $17 later, we were on our way to the next destination. Bottom line, the cheese is great...but you'll probably have a better experience tasting when you see Cato Corner at a festival or farmers market. Good cheese, bad attitude...at least when we visited.

CHEEEEESE. I love it. Its the best thing ever. I've been a fan of Cato Corner cheeses since I first did a tasting at the CT Wine Festival a few years ago (where my friend and I purchased chunks of cheese that we devoured in the car ride back to Hartford). Since then, I've enjoyed the Cato cheese plate at Firebox and ones I've made at home after shopping at Whole Foods. I definitely needed to visit the farm itself. The actual cheese shop is a tiny, no frills operation- exactly what I like to see. No lame cheese tchotckies or shirts (except for the ones made specifically for the farm), just delicious cheeses that range from mild to stinky. The woman working was really friendly and gave us many samples, offering suggestions for wine pairings (we mentioned we were on our way to the winery down the street). I told her that their super stinky Hooligan was my favorite, and was offered a sample of a brand new cheese that was similar to Hooligan with a slightly mellower flavor. We took a chunk of that not-yet-named cheese along with their Vivace, and aged Bloomsday Cheddar (I've had the regular, 6 month Bloomsday several times before, but this 1 year variety was much sharper and stronger). It's worth noting that Priam, a stop in the Ct Wine Trail is about 4 minutes down the road, which is where we enjoyed our cheeses with a nice bottle of red and absolutely gorgeous view. That's how you do it! Visit the farm, pick out your favorites, and say hi to the cows. Although they can accept credit cards, it's a pretty archaic setup and cash would be easier.

Delicious cheeses and a wonderful staff! Beautiful place to treat yourself to fabulous cheese.

Some of the best cheese I have had. Got wind of Cato Corner from the Colchester farmers market and stopped by to check out the greater varieties they had at the farm. The cheese shop had about 10 different cheeses out and the guy that was working the store was super friendly and knowledgeable. My favs were the Aged Bloomsday, Dairyere and the Vivace. Got a 1/4lb of the Vivace ($6), and left a happy camper.

Great selection of cheese! It's a fun little trip out to the farm. Tasting some before you buy is always a treat!

Cute farm. Watch out for the chickens when you pull in and when you leave because there seem to be plenty of them meandering around. Prices are steep but the cheese is really good. There were nine different cheeses out to taste while we were there, which seems to be a larger selection than what other reviewers mentioned. Admittedly, I know very little about cheese other than the fact that I like it and I believe it should never come pre-scliced or in a can. That being said, I favored the Molto Vivace, Womanchego, Aged Bloomsday and what reportedly is their most popular cheese, Bridgid's Abbey. Mmmm cheese!

I stopped by Cato Corner today and sampled their cheeses which are full of flavor and properly made with raw milk from their own dairy. It's really a first class operation that deserves local support. If we were in Europe it would be the only cheese offered in local restaurants. I thought the Dairyere and the Aged Bloomsday were full of flavor and balanced with good acidity. As soon as I run out I will be back for more .

If you live within driving distance of Colchester, CT and haven't been here yet, you'll kick yourself once you do for all the years of missed cheese opportunity. Outstanding products for every cheese-loving taste from the stinkiest (yum!) to the mildest. We've met two friends there and had a 4-person tasting that was unrushed and relaxing. There were no other customers there at the time, so staff took it slow and we all yacked about the flavors together. The woman who helped us was also quite the foodie. :) We bought a ton of cheese and took advantage of the preprinted labels to identify all the chunks we bought. It barely lasted the week as our children devoured it too. Our same friends later bought quite a large selection of cheeses for serving at their wedding reception, and their caterer laid out a Cato Corner Farm cheese tasting table alongside the dessert course at the venue. It was a spectacular hit (hint hint for all those folks looking to do something gastronimically different at a reception and/or other event). Shopping at an independent purveyor and farmer also is a special thing.

I was very pleased to find this place! We left with 4 different cheeses. The staff explained that their selections change often. Looking forward to my next trip there. Other reviewers complained of a smell, but it did not bother me. I smelled manure, cheese, and some sort of cleaning supplies... All normal on a dairy farm that makes cheese.

After passing by this place for 12 years, I finally decided to stop. I anticipated a small farmstand and found, instead, a farm with a shed. Insider were several customers. The lady behind the counter was just beginning a tasting of the cheese so I joined in. We tasted about a dozen cheeses and each was profoundly delicious. I particularly enjoyed the Womanchengo. Get it? I purchased a small amount of three cheeses to share with my family. They don't take credit cards so bring cash or a check. Cato's cheeses are served in the finest New York restaurants. They also offer frozen veal as the male cows aren't ever going to produce milk. But know that these calves live free range. Of course, the prices are steep.

Absolutely amazing place! The cheese is incredible, and the service and knowledge on the cheeses are impeccable! We purchased dairyere reserve, vicace, and Dutch farmstead! We also purchased a peach bourbon chipotle hand-smoked fruit preserve at farm as well. Down the street is the Priam Vineyard, and you can bring your cheese to eat with wine! They actually do wine pairings of the Cato Corner cheeses specifically!

Cato Corner Farm is family run with about 40 Jersey cows (all hormone free) from which they make about 15 cheeses. They usually have about 6 cheeses at any given time and are prone to running out of some varieties if you go later in the day. Their little store front is open on weekends only from 10-3. They make some fabulous cheeses and as you can imagine they are a bit pricey due to their low volume. Think the $20/pound range. The Black Ledge Blue Cheese is awesome. I knocked it down one star because they tend to be quite frugal with the tasting. Literally, the woman I have run into there will give you a tiny speck of cheese, the size of my smallest finger nail at most. If I am dropping $60 on a trip to buy cheese, I don't think it would kill them to give an adequate sample (to actually taste the cheese).

What a sweet place! Womanchengo, Dairyere, Aged Bloomsday... all delectable. All the staff is welcoming and very informed. We love it.

Hands down the finest cheese I have ever had in my entire life. I am a huge fan of Manchego cheese, so while out to dinner with my wife at Grant's, I saw the Womanchego on the menu from Cato Corner Farm. I couldn't resist and I was instantly blown away. Fast forward 2 weeks and my wife and I are driving down to Colchester to go right to the farm for more because we couldn't stop thinking about it. We visited the cheese shop and had a wonderful experience learning about the cheeses and trying a variety of samples. This stuff will literally blow your mind. If you like cheese and live in in CT, treat yourself and indulge in this perfection.

Cheesus that was good! This is why I love Yelp! DH and I have a motorcycle and go out to the Colchester area frequently for rides. We had been past the sign for this place several times, and after reading the Yelp reviews, I asked him to stop today. It was TOTALLY worth the wait! As we drove down the road, we thought we must have missed it but then there it was, just as he was giving up. It is an unassuming little place, on the right hand side of the road, almost a mile and a quarter after the turn off from Rt 16. We did a 'cheese tasting' which is like a wine tasting but with .....cheese...glorious, wonderful cheese. All cheeses are unpasteurized (caution to pregnant women) cows milk. Today there were 12 cheeses, ranging from pretty mild (think mild gouda) to a super strong 'stinky' cheese, which was pretty intense. We had a hard time settling on which ones to buy, and settled on Mwfanwy which was my favorite, , hard to describe, and evidently they don't have too often. We also got some Aged Bloomsday, which is like an aged cheddar. We plan on eating them this evening while watching the fireworks, with some wine and fruit...maybe some almonds. I can hardly wait. The ONLY reasons this is not a 5 star review is 1) DH had a hard time getting the motorcycle up the gravel and dirt road/hill leading to the shop. (YES, I KNOW it is a farm, but it detracted from our experience) and 2) the other woman in the shop (NOT the girl we were dealing with) was a bit pushy, and I felt bad for the people who came in behind us. The next time we go out that way I will be bringing a small cooler, cash and will make some larger purchases. Can't wait!

Awsome experience for kids..and wonderful cheese made on the spot.My kids loved the experience of seeing the cows being milked and had a great lesson on where milk comes from:)

My cousin has lived on the east coast for over 20 years and brought some cheese back from this farm way back when. I have ordered from them ever since. Love every cheese they make. They have samplers delivered every 3 months! Great service too!

Don't expect much by way of ambiance. It's a farm. It smells like poop. The cheese shop it teeny tiny (and we got a kick out of the "Cheese" sign above the door). But....the cheese...oh the cheese. We were doing a tasting at the winery down the road and they recommended we pop into Cato for some cheese before we sat down with our bottle. Great idea - wine and CHEESE! They let us each taste every single one of the cheeses before making our selections. Wow! It's very pricey, but it's homemade, local and worth every penny. I highly recommend stopping in on your way to the winery! Bring cash - they don't take cards.

Amazing, amazing cheeses. The Bloomsday and Aged Bloomsday are my favorites. I highly, highly recommend Cato Corner.

Thoroughly enjoyed visiting this cheese shop - i was offered to taste each cheese - making it very hard which ones to choose. Support your local farmers and stop in next weekend. They have a small selection of frozen cuts of veal & eggs too. cash/check only.

This was the coolest place I have been to in a long time. Their selection of cheeses is amazing and even the non-cheese-lovers of our group found one they enjoyed. I went with a big group (7 people) and we filled the whole cheese house, so it was nice that it was an off time because we would have held up the people behind us. The cheese lady let us try as many different kinds of cheese as we wanted and explained how they tasted to us. If I had more money I would have bought more cheeses!

The employees are very helpful and enthusiastic about their cheeses!! Watch out for the ducks when you pull in/out. My personal favs were Dairyere and Vivace but honestly I tried them all and was not disappointed with any!

Absolutely the best cheese! Not cheap (avg $20 per pound) but it's worth it and is such a treat. All are recommended, particularly the Bleck Ledge Blue, womanchengo, drunken monk. They also sell fresh eggs that are great and veal which is delicious!!!

I love that we can go straight to the farm to buy our cheese. My kids love to visit the cows, see them out in the field and know that they are well-treated. The cheese-tasting is an event in itself, with so many lovely options to choose from. Some of our favorites are the Aged Bloomsday, the Womanchego, and Brigid's Abbey

Very tasty cheese. Good place to bring kids -- they can pet calfs and see what a real farm is. Cheese is excellent, and they'll almost feed you lunch with the samples. Bloomsday is my favorite, but the kids always want to try another. Fun place. They sell to whole foods in glastonbury, but take the time to visit the farm. Salmon river is 2 miles away and makes a nice place to enjoy some cheese and the beverage of your choice. They accept credit cards, but don't have a square. Real throwback. Not even a "swish-swish" imprinter.

awesome cheese. you can try as many as you wish, but the bloomsbury is my favorite. brings the kids too, there are cows and calves to watch or pet. if you eat meat, they also have veal in the freezer.