Family Brings the Bleus to Town

Shaft’s Cheese Company’s most popular cheese came about by accident.

“(Founder) Jack Gibson had been in the dairy industry for over 30 years when he stumbled upon the idea of creating an aged bleu cheese,” said Shaft’s Cheese Company General Manager Christopher Shull.

Gibson was working with numerous cheese manufacturing facilities that were specializing in aged cheddars and Monterey jack cheeses at the time, and realized that there could potentially be a market for high quality, aged bleu cheese. He teamed up with a Master Cheesemaker to create a formula that would allow bleu cheese to be aged.

The company began in an old, abandoned gold mine in Cedar Ridge in 1999. Gibson used the concept of aging products in mines and transformed the mine into an ideal aging facility for bleu cheese. The primary location became their Rocklin residence and now they will be making the leap to Roseville, which will become the main facility.

“What started off as a small little company, has grown into something that we as a family, could never have imagined,” Shull said.

The Roseville location on Industrial Avenue is not open to the public, but you can find this local cheese company’s cheese all over the nation because the majority of their business is through foodservice distribution houses across the country. You can also find their cheese locally at retailers such as , , and on occasion at and .

“Our top seller is the Shaft's Bleu Vein Cheese-aged 1 Year. This cheese is aged for approximately 14-16 months and has a full bleu cheese flavor. This cheese is not over powering like a lot of bleu cheeses can be, it has a great creamy texture and mellows out on the palate,” said owner Kerri Shull.

Another popular cheese for those who are not fans of bleu cheese on it’s own is the Shaft’s Serendipity.

“This cheese is the perfect entertaining cheese. Pieced together like a wedding cake, we combine the Shaft's Bleu Vein Cheese with a 1-year-old aged Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar. The sharp taste of the aged cheddar really balances out the bite of the bleu cheese,” said Ellen Gibson, another owner.

The Ellie’s Vintage Two Year Reserve is a very unique cheese, and like the idea of starting the company, occurred by accident.

Third owner, John Gibson explains, “It was stumbled upon while loosing track of our inventory several years ago. This cheese is incredible. There is a very limited quantity available for purchase, but is a pretty amazing product. Aged for over 24 months, this cheese has the flavor of the Shaft's Bleu, but is extremely creamy and finishes with a hint of sweetness. A very unique product indeed.”

Christopher Shull said passion is key in the cheese business.

“Owning your own business is a lot of work, but life is too short to be working in an industry that you don't enjoy,” Christopher Shull said. “Passion for high quality cheeses and a pure love for the industry is what inspired the family to get into the business. It is a fun business that is always changing.”

For more information on Shaft’s Cheese Co, visit their website here or call 916-415-9592.