Sweet Grass Dairy

Sweet Grass Dairy is an artisan cheesemaking company based in Thomasville, Georgia. Founded in 2000 by Al and Desiree Wehner, the business developed around the production of handcrafted, old-world-style cheeses rather than mass-market dairy products. Its cheeses are made exclusively from cow's milk supplied by the family's nearby Green Hill Dairy, linking the cheesemaking operation to a specific local milk source and to a pasture-oriented approach to dairy farming. The company became associated with the growth of contemporary Southern American cheesemaking and built a portfolio that includes both regular offerings and limited or special cheeses. Its best-known products include Green Hill, Thomasville Tomme, Georgia Gouda, and Asher Blue. Green Hill is described as an award-winning cheese and has served as one of the company's signature products. Other named specialty cheeses include Clayburne, Black Swan, Heat, Cyprus, Harvest, and Lil' Moo. The range reflects Sweet Grass Dairy's use of European-inspired styles adapted to the company's Georgia setting and milk supply. A significant ownership transition occurred in 2005, when Al and Desiree Wehner's daughter Jessica and her husband Jeremy Little purchased the company. This transferred operational ownership to the next generation while retaining the business's family connection to Green Hill Dairy and its regional identity. The available reference material identifies Jessica Wehner and Jeremy Little as the principal owners following that transaction, but does not provide a detailed corporate structure or financial information. Sweet Grass Dairy emphasizes rotational grazing in its dairy practices. This method moves cattle among open pasture areas and is presented as an alternative to keeping animals primarily on concrete barn floors. The farming approach is part of the company's broader positioning around local production, pasture-based agriculture, and carefully made cheese. Because the company uses milk from its nearby affiliated dairy and makes only cow's-milk cheeses, its identity is closely tied to control of ingredients and to the landscape around Thomasville. Beginning in 2010, Sweet Grass Dairy also operated a Cheese Shop in downtown Thomasville. The shop expanded the company beyond production and distribution by giving consumers a dedicated retail and hospitality point in the town where the business is based. Sweet Grass Dairy distributes its cheeses across the United States, although the available sources do not specify a complete list of retail partners, export markets, production volumes, revenue, or current distribution arrangements. In September 2011, the company announced that it would stop producing goat's-milk cheeses. This decision narrowed the range to cow's-milk products and reinforced the focus on milk from Green Hill Dairy. The available material does not document a later reversal of that policy. Overall, Sweet Grass Dairy is best understood as a private, family-connected American artisan cheese producer whose brand combines regional Georgia identity, handcrafted production, rotational grazing, and a portfolio influenced by established European cheese traditions.

Sweet Grass Dairy was established in 2000 in Thomasville, Georgia, by Al and Desiree Wehner. The company entered the specialty-food sector as a producer of handcrafted cheeses modeled on old-world traditions. Rather than operating as a broad dairy brand, it focused on cheese and built its identity around small-scale, regionally connected production. The company uses cow's milk from Green Hill Dairy, a nearby dairy associated with the Wehner family. Its farming practices include rotational grazing, in which cattle are moved among pasture areas rather than being kept continuously on concrete barn floors. This approach became an important part of the company's agricultural and brand identity, connecting the finished cheese to local pasture, animal husbandry, and a defined regional supply chain. In 2005, ownership passed to the founders' daughter, Jessica Wehner, and her husband, Jeremy Little. The purchase represented a generational transition and kept the business within the family. Under the later ownership, Sweet Grass Dairy continued producing cow's-milk cheeses and distributing them across the United States. The company's portfolio includes Green Hill, Thomasville Tomme, Georgia Gouda, and Asher Blue as regular cheeses. Green Hill is identified as an award-winning product and is one of the brand's most recognizable offerings. The company has also produced special cheeses including Clayburne, Black Swan, Heat, Cyprus, Harvest, and Lil' Moo. These products show the breadth of its artisan range while remaining within a cow's-milk specialization. In 2010, Sweet Grass Dairy expanded its local customer presence by operating a Cheese Shop in downtown Thomasville. The shop provided a direct retail setting for the company's products and reinforced Thomasville as the center of its public-facing identity. The company also distributed its cheeses nationally, giving the regional producer a market beyond South Georgia. In September 2011, Sweet Grass Dairy announced that it would no longer make goat's-milk cheeses. The decision consolidated production around cow's milk supplied by Green Hill Dairy and simplified the brand's product focus. The available reference material does not provide detailed information about subsequent ownership changes, corporate expansion, financial performance, production capacity, or the current status of each individual cheese. Sweet Grass Dairy is therefore documented primarily as a private, family-connected Georgia cheesemaker with a national distribution footprint and a distinctive pasture-based agricultural model.

• 2011

  Goat's-milk cheese production is discontinued

  [1]Sweet Grass Dairyen.wikipedia.org

  The company announces that it will stop producing goat's-milk cheeses and focus exclusively on cow's-milk cheeses.

• 2010

  Downtown Thomasville Cheese Shop begins operating

  [1]Sweet Grass Dairyen.wikipedia.org

  Sweet Grass Dairy adds a Cheese Shop in downtown Thomasville, creating a direct local retail presence.

• 2005

  Ownership passes to the next generation

  [1]Sweet Grass Dairyen.wikipedia.org

  Jessica Wehner and Jeremy Little purchase Sweet Grass Dairy from Jessica's parents, Al and Desiree Wehner.

• 2000

  Sweet Grass Dairy is founded

  [1]Sweet Grass Dairyen.wikipedia.org

  Al and Desiree Wehner establish Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, Georgia, as a producer of handcrafted old-world-style cheeses.

Regional American artisan cheesemaker emphasizing handcrafted, old-world-style cow's-milk cheeses, local milk from Green Hill Dairy, rotational grazing, and a strong connection to Thomasville and South Georgia.

• Cow's-milk artisan cheese

  Green Hill

  Green Hill is one of Sweet Grass Dairy's signature cheeses and is identified as an award-winning product. It represents the company's core approach: handcrafted cheese made from cow's milk supplied by the nearby Green Hill Dairy. The available reference material does not specify its exact style, aging period, flavor profile, or awards.

• Cow's-milk artisan cheese

  Thomasville Tomme

  Thomasville Tomme is a regular Sweet Grass Dairy cheese named for the company's Georgia home. Its name places it within the tradition of tomme-style cheeses while giving the product a distinct regional identity. It is made from cow's milk, consistent with the company's stated focus. Detailed technical information about aging and formulation is not provided in the reference material.

• Cow's-milk artisan cheese

  Georgia Gouda

  Georgia Gouda is Sweet Grass Dairy's regional interpretation of a Gouda-style cheese. It is listed among the company's regular cow's-milk cheeses and links a familiar European cheese category with the producer's Georgia origin and local milk supply. The available sources do not state its specific maturation schedule or sensory characteristics.

• Cow's-milk blue cheese

  Asher Blue

  Asher Blue is a regular cow's-milk cheese in Sweet Grass Dairy's portfolio. Its name indicates a blue-cheese style, while its inclusion in the main range demonstrates the company's production of multiple traditional cheese types rather than a single specialty format. The reference material does not provide detailed information about its production method, aging, or market positioning.

• Specialty cow's-milk cheese

  Clayburne

  Clayburne is listed as one of Sweet Grass Dairy's special cow's-milk cheeses. It forms part of the company's supplementary or limited selection beyond the regular Green Hill, Thomasville Tomme, Georgia Gouda, and Asher Blue range. No further product specifications are provided in the reference material.

• Specialty cow's-milk cheese

  Black Swan

  Black Swan is identified as a special cheese made by Sweet Grass Dairy from cow's milk. The name appears among the company's occasional or non-core offerings. Available sources do not establish its exact style, release schedule, ingredients beyond the milk type, or current availability.

• Specialty cow's-milk cheese

  Heat

  Heat is one of the special cow's-milk cheeses associated with Sweet Grass Dairy. Its name suggests a distinctive flavor concept, but the available reference does not specify the ingredients, cheese style, or degree of spiciness. It is included as part of the company's broader specialty portfolio.

• Specialty cow's-milk cheese

  Cyprus

  Cyprus is listed among Sweet Grass Dairy's special cow's-milk cheeses. The available material confirms its association with the company but does not describe its style, texture, aging, or relationship to Cypriot cheese traditions. Its inclusion reflects the brand's use of named specialty releases alongside its regular range.

• Specialty cow's-milk cheese

  Harvest

  Harvest is identified as a special cow's-milk cheese produced by Sweet Grass Dairy. It belongs to the company's group of occasional or limited offerings rather than the four regular cheeses named in the reference material. No reliable details are available about its formulation, seasonality, or continuing availability.

• Specialty cow's-milk cheese

  Lil' Moo

  Lil' Moo is listed as a special cheese in Sweet Grass Dairy's cow's-milk portfolio. The reference material provides the product name and its broad place within the range but does not document a specific cheese style, package format, maturation profile, or current status.

• 2011

  Concentration on cow's-milk cheesesStrategy

  Background

  Sweet Grass Dairy had produced both cow's-milk and goat's-milk cheeses, while its core milk supply came from the nearby Green Hill Dairy.

  Action taken

  In September 2011, the company announced that it would cease producing goat's-milk cheeses.

  Aftermath

  The decision left Sweet Grass Dairy focused exclusively on cow's-milk cheeses and aligned its product range more closely with its affiliated dairy supply.

  Source

• 2010

  Expansion into direct local retailStrategy

  Background

  Sweet Grass Dairy produced artisan cheeses in Thomasville and distributed them across the United States.

  Action taken

  The company began operating a Cheese Shop in downtown Thomasville.

  Aftermath

  The shop gave the brand a dedicated local retail outlet in its home city, although the available sources do not quantify its commercial results.

  Source

1. 1Sweet Grass Dairyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sweet Grass Dairy official websitesweetgrassdairy.com