Ageing Gracefully:
200-Year Old Woodlawn Dairy Farm Relaunches Award-Winning Cheeses
“2014 was a good year for milk,” Kate Leach says from the kitchen table at her family’s seventh generation farm. Kate and her husband Seth Leach track such things. His ancestors started Woodlawn Holsteins Farm in Pawlet nearly 200 years ago, where the family has been producing and selling premium quality milk and beef ever since.
Kate explains that 2014 was the year Vermont’s commodity milk market paid a relatively higher price to the state’s dairy farmers for their product. Woodlawn, like many Vermont dairy farms, has struggled with smaller payouts, potentially affecting their long-term sustainability. But in 2014, Seth could at last take a breath and feel optimistic about the family farm’s future.
“Then he calculated the costs of feed for our cows, and all our other farm expenses,” Kate adds, “and he realized that even with that higher payment, it still wasn’t great.” All costs considered, the struggle would go on.
That realization caused the couple to think hard about cutting costs, “and about developing new and higher-value revenue streams,” Kate says. “The price you can get from the commodity milk market doesn’t cover all the costs of producing high quality milk. But premium artisanal cheesemakers are willing to pay more,” she says brightly.
The couple planted more of their own soy, corn and alfalfa for feed. “Now we’re feed self-sufficient,” she notes. They downsized their herd. They determined to ramp up their milk sales to those premium artisanal cheesemakers, reaching out to an expanded customer base.
Then one day, one of those cheesemaker customers came to them with an offer. The cheesemaker was exiting the business. Would the Leaches be interested in purchasing the rights to their popular cheese recipes and product names, to rebrand as Woodlawn’s?
The answer was an enthusiastic but qualified ’yes’: they were eager to proceed, but they’d need a loan for the purchase.
Advisors at Vermont’s Intervale Center (a longtime Vermont Community Loan Fund partner & borrower!) recommended the Loan Fund for the couple’s additional capital needs. “VCLF has been very patient, appropriately persistent and very much appreciated,” Kate says. “Without them, I don’t think we could have done this.”
Now, Woodlawn Creamery, their new affiliate operation, is set to relaunch the celebrated “Pawlet” and “Rupert” cheeses to the marketplace, following up with “Southwind”, a new variety, soon after.
“Pawlet is an Italian-style Toma, aged three to six months, mild, buttery, grassy”, their website tells. Rupert, requiring nine months’ ageing, is an Alpine-style, “fruity, butterscotch, complex”, per the website. “A great cheeseboard cheese”, Kate attests.
Kate focuses on distribution, marketing and operations at Woodlawn, while also working a demanding second full-time job as Director of Advancement at Burr & Burton Academy. Incredibly, she seems unfazed by the double workload (not to mention co-parenting the couple’s young children), focusing on opportunities.
“We’re the seventh generation to farm here. Whether it’s our kids who’ll be the eighth generation, or somebody else, we want the farm to continue on after us,” she says. “Vermont’s farms are going away because they can’t afford to stay in business. Farmers want to be a part of Vermont’s future, and VCLF is helping make that happen.” woodlawncreamery.com
Financing was also provided to:
Business Lending:
Cura Skin Therapeutics, Williston
Erika Lemcke, a skincare specialist, certified Oncology Esthetician and former spa manager, approached VCLF for help financing the start of Cura Skin Therapeutics, a skincare salon for clients with skin conditions resulting from pre-chemotherapy treatments, chronic illnesses, chronic acne and other health-compromised or sensitive skin conditions. She’ll use her VCLF loan to cover costs of equipment, office space renovations, and more. The loan is expected to create three jobs. instagram.com/cura_skintherapeutics
Fairview Farm of East Dover, East Dover
Fairview Farm of East Dover, a burgeoning 30-acre farm owned by couple David Rosso and Lindsey Brown-Rosso, produces milk, pasture-raised beef, pork, chicken, honey and maple syrup, practicing regenerative farming methods. Having received a Vermont Agency of Agriculture grant that will partially finance a new barn enabling them to expand their herd, they came to VCLF for a loan to cover the remaining construction costs and fees. The loan preserves two jobs and is expected to create one new job. fairviewfarmofeastdover.com
Foxy’s, Barre
Liv Dunton and Doni Cain have owned and operated the Fox Market and Bar specialty grocery and beer/wine bar with an LGBTQIA+-friendly focus, in East Montpelier since 2021. In 2023, they purchased the circa-1871 Wheelock building in downtown Barre, which is listed on National Register of Historic Places. Planning to renovate the building to create Foxy’s, a bar/restaurant, they came to VCLF for help financing renovations, equipment purchases, and more. The loan is expected to create five full-time and three to five part-time jobs. https://www.foxmarket.store
Green Dream Farm, Enosburg Falls
Green Dream Farm, owned by Chris & Annie Wagner, is a former dairy farm now specializing in boarding adult cattle and rearing Wagyu-cross beef calves. They approached VCLF for a loan to help purchase an automated calf feeder, increasing capacity. The loan preserves one job with another job anticipated, and preserves 700 acres of farmland.
Sugar Towne, Duxbury
Sugar Towne, a maple sugaring operation, is owned and run by Zebulon Towne, who has tapped sugar maples and boiled sap on his 42-acre property since 2009. A past VCLF borrower, he returned to VCLF for a loan to help purchase an adjacent property, expanding his sugaring operations. The loan preserves 67 acres of working lands and one job.
The Goat Project, Bennington
The Goat Project is a small farm comprised of 35 acres of pasture and 82 wooded acres where owner/operator Rebecca Knouss milks a small herd of goats for soap-making and fresh milk sold through her website, at retail locations throughout New England and her farm stand. She came to VCLF for a line of credit to purchase oils for soap and feed for the goats. This loan preserves one job. thegoatproject.net
The Store, Burlington
Owner Sophie Deshaies came to VCLF to help finance her start-up boutique located in Burlington’s Church Street marketplace. With extensive experience in marketing, fashion and retail, Sophie’s vision for her boutique includes gender-inclusive clothing, accessories, beauty products and secondhand goods. She used a VCLF loan to purchase inventory, equipment and to cover other start-up costs. The loan creates one new job. thestorewebsite.com
Housing & Community Facilities Lending:
Greenway Living, Montpelier
Norwich Technologies (NT) strives to advance affordable clean energy by moving companies and organizations toward energy independence. NT established Greenway Living to purchase the former Vermont College of Fine Arts’ Dewey Hall dormitory. They’ve converted it into affordable housing, which is currently fully leased by Cabot Creamery, and will ultimately house students of Greenway Institute, a sustainable engineering degree program. greenwayinstitute.org
Milton Mobile Home Cooperative, Milton
Milton Mobile Home Cooperative (MMHC), a nonprofit, 100-unit manufactured housing community and an important source of affordable homes in Milton, was built in the 1960s and purchased by its residents in 2012. In 2017, MMHC began work to repair its water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. MMC required bridge financing while it awaited disbursement of additional grant funds; VCLF was happy to step in and help. miltonmh.coop
Montpelier Performing Arts Hub, Montpelier
The Montpelier Performing Arts Hub is a new nonprofit organization with a mission to curate and provide high-quality performing arts education for the Central Vermont community at a professional performance venue. The organization approached VCLF for help purchasing the former Gary Library on Montpelier’s College Hill as its performing arts space, to include a café, office space and more. mpa-hub.org/
Vermont Trails & Greenways Council, statewide in Vermont
The Vermont Trails and Greenways Council (VTGC) is an independent nonprofit supporting the Vermont trails and outdoor recreation community, serving as an advisory body to the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation. Its primary mission is to ensure continued access to Vermont’s trails and landscape. VTGC approached VCLF for bridge loan to cover expenses associated with a new accessibility initiative funded by the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) grant that will increase the quality and quantity of accessible and adaptive trail experiences in Vermont. VTGC will pay down VCLF financing upon receipt of grant payments. vermonttgc.org
Early Childhood Education Lending:
Maple Leaf Children’s Center, Thetford
Holly Godfrey owns and operates Creative Spirit Children’s Center in West Fairlee, for which she has previously borrowed from VCLF and successfully doubled the number of children & families served. Since 2023, she has also worked part-time at Maple Leaf Children’s Center, a struggling early childhood education program in nearby Thetford. Recently, Maple Leaf’s Board of Directors, in recognition of her strong leadership, offered to sell Maple Leaf to Holly, who then returned to VCLF to finance this purchase. The loan preserves three jobs and 18 early childhood education slots, with another 10 slots anticipated. facebook.com/mapleleafchildrenscentervt
Salisbury Family Center, Salisbury
With Salisbury experiencing an acute shortage of early childhood education programming, experienced early care provider Christian Bowdish determined to start up the Salisbury Family Center (SFC). In recognition of the extreme need, the town of Salisbury will rent space to the program, free of charge, for three years VCLF financing will cover costs for facility renovations, and for a well that will allow for expanded capacity from 18 to 30 children. The loan creates six jobs, with two more jobs anticipated. www.salisburyfamilycenter.com
The Mill School, Woodstock
The Mill School early childhood education center is operated by the nonprofit Community For Woodstock (CFW). VCLF financed The Mill School’s launch in 2023. The owners of their facility plan to leave the area, and are selling their local assets; CFW approached VCLF for help purchasing their program’s home. The loan preserves early care for 22 children & families and preserves four jobs and multiple substitute positions, with two additional jobs anticipated. themillschool.com