Salem Business Legacy: Don Froylan Creamery boasts the best cheese in North America
You walk around the endless aisles of vendors, each giving a unique cheesy aroma—and delicious samples, of course. Of all these thousands of cheesemakers, Salem-based Don Froylan Creamery rises to the top as a leading producer, winning three coveted awards at the 2024 American Cheese Society conference hosted in Buffalo, New York, last month.
In this year’s competition, Don Froylan’s Queso Panela took first place in the hispanic/portuguese-style Cheese category, their Queso Oaxaca taking second place. Don Froylan’s Liliana’s String Cheese swept up first place in the large and highly competitive string cheese category as well.
The American Cheese Society brings together cheesemakers from all over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for a chance to be named among the best cheesemakers in North America. Don Froylan Creamery, a family-owned cheesemaking business, has competed for 10 years now, winning a number of awards. This year’s awards hold a special place of significance for owner Francisco Ochoa and his creamery. “Out of the whole United States and Canada, we have the best string cheese. That’s something to be proud of,” Ochoa said.
The cheese’s quality is directly linked to the cheesemakers they employ. “Our cheesemakers are dedicated to making cheese. They love making cheese,” Ochoa said. The Creamery employs passionate Mexican cheesemakers in order to achieve their award-winning, authentic Mexican cheese.
Ochoa’s father, Don Froylan, and his family migrated to the U.S. in the early 1990s. Noticing a significant lack of authentic Mexican cheeses on the market, they began producing out of their home kitchen to fill the need in their community. Froylan had always dreamed of opening a creamery. After Froylan’s unexpected passing in 2000, Ochoa and his family turned his father’s dream into a full-scale, thriving business, founding Don Froylan Creamery in Albany in 2003. They’ve expanded to a team of 50 employees, all working together to produce the best cheeses in North America. “We’re naturally growing because more people are finding out and tasting our cheese, and bigger companies like UNFI and Fred Meyer want to carry our cheese,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa’s wife and co-owner of the Creamery, Lisa, explained the importance of the conference for their Mexican heritage. “All the cheesemakers are actually cheesemakers from Mexico,” Lisa said. “For people to see that, and see their culture being represented is really important.”
One of the ways the Creamery showcases their culture is by sticking to traditional methods of hand-stretching the cheese. The Creamery’s production floor features a viewing area for guests to witness the time-tested process of producing fresh, delicious, authentic cheeses. The Creamery also features a quesadilla bar for guests to taste the cheeses for themselves in the form of quesadillas, nachos, burritos, cheese curds, and more.
Family remains a major theme in Don Froylan Creamery’s success story. From a home-kitchen hustle to an internationally renowned producer, Ochoa and his family have always achieved their goals side-by-side. Ochoa described that on any day, he and his family can be found working at the Creamery together. They welcome the Salem community to come taste the best cheese in North America by visiting the Creamery at 3310 Portland Rd. NE, open every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.