Do you make Bandon Cheese?

Yes, we do! Bandon is a pasteurized cheddar made with milk from cows not treated with rBST*. Through a subsidiary, we have owned the cheese factory in Bandon, Oregon and the Bandon® cheese trademark since 2000. Here’s a little more history on our relationship with Bandon® cheese if you’re interested… After the Coquille Valley Farmers Co-op became insolvent in 1986, a series of owners of the cheese factory in Bandon, Oregon struggled to profitably operate the cheese plant and store. When the owners of the cheese factory in Bandon, Oregon put the company up for sale, we believed that buying it would ensure its longevity and maintain the Oregon heritage Bandon, Oregon shares with Tillamook, Oregon. Unfortunately, as we began operating in Bandon, Oregon, we came to the realization that milk supply was not available locally in the volume or at the quality we desired, and the production facility itself was significantly below our standards for creating a consistent product. Our first step to ensure we could continue to produce Bandon® cheese safely with the quality standards we require was to move production of Bandon® cheese to our facility in Tillamook, Oregon and, later to our subsidiary, Columbia River Processing, in Boardman, Oregon. We continued to operate the visitor’s retail store in Bandon, Oregon for several years, despite declining sales, until late 2005, when dangers from the deteriorating building forced us to close it down and demolish the building. After leasing the property for many years to the City of Bandon, in 2011 the City of Bandon purchased the property where the Bandon® cheese factory once stood. We are proud to continue to honor the Bandon® cheese heritage today, by making Bandon® cheddar which is currently sold at retailers throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

*All farmers who supply milk for Bandon cheddar pledge not to use artificial growth hormones. The FDA has stated that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST treated and non-rBST treated cows.