Rogue Creamery

The Creamery That Put American Blue Cheese on the World Stage

Rogue Creamery has been making cheese in Southern Oregon since 1933, but its story really comes into focus through blue cheese. The creamery began as the Rogue River Valley Co-op, created to support local dairy farmers during the Great Depression. Two years later, cheesemakers Tom Vella and Celso Viviani took over the operation, and Vella eventually set out to make the kind of blue cheese he had encountered in France.

After traveling to Roquefort to study traditional blue cheesemaking, Vella returned to Oregon and built caves designed for aging French-style blues. In 1953, Rogue produced its first wheels of Oregon Blue, one of the earliest cave-aged blue cheeses made in the American West. That combination of Old World technique and Southern Oregon milk became the foundation for everything Rogue Creamery would become.

The next major chapter began in 2002, when David Gremmels purchased the creamery from the Vella family. Gremmels worked closely with longtime cheesemaker Ig Vella, preserving the creamery's traditions while pushing its cheeses in new directions. The result was a lineup that helped establish Rogue Creamery as one of the most important names in American artisan cheese.

Rogue River Blue and the Cheese That Changed Everything

Rogue River Blue is the cheese that turned Rogue Creamery into an international name. Made from rich autumn cow's milk, the wheels are aged for months before being wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that have been soaked in pear liqueur. The cheese continues aging inside the leaves, developing a deep, layered flavor that can move from sweet and fruity to earthy, savory, and gently spicy.

In 2003, Rogue River Blue became the first non-European cheese to win World's Best Blue Cheese at the World Cheese Awards. Then, in 2019, it went even further, becoming the first American-made cheese ever named World Champion at the competition. That win did more than bring Rogue Creamery international attention. It helped cement American artisan cheese as something that could stand alongside the world's great European traditions.

Rogue River Blue remains the creamery's most famous cheese, but it is only part of the story. Oregon Blue continues the tradition Tom Vella started in the 1950s, while Smokey Blue adds a layer of smoke to Rogue's signature blue-cheese richness. Introduced in 2006, Smokey Blue became known as the world's first smoked blue cheese and earned international recognition of its own. Other Rogue Creamery cheeses — including Caveman Blue, Crater Lake Blue, and Bluehorn — explore different textures, aging styles, and levels of intensity, giving blue-cheese lovers plenty of ways to experience the creamery's house style.

A Taste of Southern Oregon

Rogue Creamery's cheeses are closely tied to the Rogue Valley itself. The area's fertile soil, water, pastureland, and dairy tradition have shaped the creamery from the beginning, and the producer has long emphasized the relationship between the land, the milk, and the finished cheese.

That sense of place comes through especially clearly in Rogue River Blue, where locally inspired ingredients and seasonal milk are part of the recipe rather than decoration. The Syrah grape leaves and pear liqueur connect the cheese directly to Southern Oregon's agricultural landscape, while extended aging adds the depth and complexity that made it famous. Rogue Creamery's larger mission is built around sustainability, service, and preserving the art of handmade cheese — a philosophy that has helped the creamery remain both historically rooted and unusually forward-looking.

Cooking, Pairing and Storage

Rogue Creamery blue cheeses are best served at cool room temperature, which gives their texture time to soften and their full aroma and flavor time to open up. Rogue River Blue is especially good served simply, with crusty bread, pears, figs, toasted nuts, or a drizzle of honey. Its sweet-savory character works beautifully with dessert wines, Port, bold reds, and richer beers.

Oregon Blue and Crater Lake Blue are excellent choices for salads, burgers, steaks, and sauces, while Smokey Blue adds another dimension anywhere a little smoke makes sense — crumbled over roasted potatoes, folded into a creamy dressing, or paired with bacon, walnuts, and grilled fruit. Use heat gently: blue cheese melts beautifully, but prolonged cooking can mute some of the subtler flavors that make artisan blues distinctive.

Store Rogue Creamery cheese wrapped in cheese paper or a breathable cheese wrap in the refrigerator. Avoid sealing it tightly in plastic for long periods — blue cheese benefits from a small amount of airflow. Once cut, most blue cheeses keep well for several weeks when stored properly. A little additional blue or white mold on the exterior is normal for this style and can simply be trimmed away.

Also Worth Exploring

If Rogue Creamery is your kind of cheese, start with our Blue Cheese Collection for more cave-aged blues from the United States and Europe. For other standout American producers, browse the American Cheese Collection, where you'll find cheesemakers such as Point Reyes, Jasper Hill Farm, Cypress Grove, and Beecher's.

To build the perfect blue cheese board, explore our Crackers & Crisps, Honey & Mustards, Jams & Spreads, and Charcuterie collections for classic pairings that complement Rogue's bold, complex cheeses.