Small Town, Big Cheese: Minnesota's Deliciously Cheesy Secret

Open since 2008, Keith Adams' Alemar Cheese in Mankato, Minnesota now ships nationwide.[/caption]

Food Republic has partnered with Bridlewood Estate Winery to bring you some great entertaining and cooking posts. Next up is a profile of a rapidly expanding cheesemaking company in Mankato, Minnesota.

Imagine: One day you're a stockbroker in bustling San Francisco, and then—fast-forward a few years—you're an award-winning cheesemaker living in a tiny town in Minnesota. For 52-year-old Keith Adams, that's exactly what happened. 

In 2008, Adams started Alemar Cheese in the small city of Mankato, an area about an hour from the state's famous Twin Cities. In general, this place is known for its college bars, not artisanal fromage. But, as Adams continues to produce superb cheeses like his signature, Camembert-style Bent River, that reputation is on its way out.

"I went into this knowing that the market for fine cheese in Mankato was not a strong thing; it's a great place to raise kids but it's not a culinary Mecca," says Adams, who started selling his cheese in the Twin Cities and now ships across the country.