Vella Cheese Company wins top honors

Vella Cheese Company recently earned top honors at the annual California State Fair Commercial Cheese Competition. Mertens Dairy, a Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA) member farm, is the exclusive milk supplier to Vella Cheese.
Vella’s Special Select Dry Jack earned Best of Division and Gold Medal honors. The Romanello Dolce and Oro Secco also both won gold.
“Vella Cheese is a first-class operation, and it has been an honor and privilege to serve their milk needs for the past 20 years,” said George Mertens, who operates his Sonoma dairy with two sons, Fred and Steve. Mertens is vice chair of DFA’s board of directors, a member of DFA’s executive committee and chairman of the Western Area Council.
The Commercial Cheese Competition is open to California cheese companies with divisions for soft cheese, semi-soft cheese and hard cheese. Cheeses are judged by dairy inspectors from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and evaluated for flavor, texture, body, finish and color.
“The success of Vella Cheese lies in the personal attention each day’s production is given,” said Chickie Vella, office manager and granddaughter of founder Tom Vella. “I believe that quality starts in the pasture. When you give special attention to breeding, feed, milking and transporting top-grade milk, you have the best possible natural raw material to set the stage for super cheese.”
Started in 1931 when a group of dairymen convinced Tom Vella to start a cheese factory with a guaranteed supply of quality milk, Vella Cheese is now operated by Ignazio “Ig” Vella, who picked up where his parents left off. The cultures, the care, the personal hands-on techniques, even the old curing rooms are the same. Today, three more generations of the Vella family work hard to ensure that the tradition of quality and attention to detail continues.