On November 17, 2004, Beecher’s launched its signature cheese – Flagship – to critical acclaim from chefs and cheese lovers everywhere.

To create a great cheese requires vision, and craftsmanship. Even before the first wheel at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese had been crafted, owner Kurt Dammeier could taste Flagship – so clear was his concept for the profile of the cheese. It would be aged one year, semi-hard, sophisticated yet accessible, versatile in its uses, defying strict categorization – a cheese that would be at once memorable and satisfying.

To create Flagship, and the other cheeses in the Beecher’s fleet, Kurt hired Brad Sinko, a cheesemaker with experience who embraced Kurt’s spirit of adventure. Describing flavor is a challenging assignment in communication, yet somehow Kurt and Brad were able to understand each other and identified WSU Creamery's Cougar Gold as the inspiration for their cheese. With the profile defined, Brad set about crafting the new cheese.

To make cheese, one follows a simple succession of steps known to humans for thousands of years. But within those steps there are countless variables that account for the endless variety of cheeses. The ability to influence and control these variables, to create a cheese to precise specifications, distinguishes the fledgling cheesemaker from the artisan. With intuition and expertise, Brad crafted the first batch of Flagship hoping to create the precise flavor and texture that Kurt wanted.

There are indications after the first 24 hours that a cheese is made, that suggest the direction it will take while aging. The results on that first batch were encouraging, so Flagship waited patiently in the aging room with the temperature and humidity constantly monitored, until it would reach its peak of flavor. While the first batch was aging, Beecher’s continued to make and age more Flagship, to the delight of onlookers at the Pike Place Market.

After a year of careful aging Kurt eagerly tasted the cheese, thoughtfully evaluating the nuance and complexity of its robust flavor and its slightly crumbly texture. His dream of Flagship had materialized precisely as he had defined it. Delighted with the results, he broke the figurative bottle of champagne across her bow, launching Beecher’s Flagship on her maiden voyage into the mouths of cheese lovers everywhere.

Since that time, Flagship has proven it can stand shoulder to shoulder in the cheese case with the finest artisan cheeses. Its continued success is a testament to vision and the thousands year old craft of artisan cheesemaking.