Specialty Cheeses

Steve and Veronica Baetje started Baetje Farms in 2006. After a back injury deterred Steve from continuing his construction job, the Mennonite couple chose to venture into cheesemaking since they already owned a few goats. They moved to Bloomsdale, MO, just South of St. Louis along the Mississippi River. After taking classes from both the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese and the University of Wisconsin, Veronica took the reigns as cheesemaker. Her cheeses are a nod to the French influence in the area, as well as Old World European cheesemaking. Many of their cheeses are made with the milk from their own Saanen dairy goats, which are usually found roaming around their farm grazing the pasture. Since their debut in 2007 at the National Norton Wine Festival, they’ve won several awards and have become a common name in cheese shops and restaurants all over Missouri.