Blue Ridge Dairy Co.

What Blue Ridge Dairy Co. does

Blue Ridge Dairy Co. is a privately held, founder-owned artisan dairy producer founded in June 1999 by Paul Stephan in Sterling, Virginia. The company produces handcrafted fresh mozzarella, applewood smoked mozzarella, fresh ricotta, aged feta in brine, creme fraiche, and a line of Greek-style whole-milk yogurts sold under the YoFresh brand. Manufacturing is based at a 1323 Shepard Drive, Unit B, Sterling, VA plant with peak processing capacity of up to 1,000 gallons of milk per week.

The core production technology is a lactic fermentation method for Italian-style fresh mozzarella: milk is pasteurized at 145°F for 30 minutes, cooled, inoculated with a proprietary blend of live bacterial cultures for roughly 45 minutes, set with vegetarian rennet, then cut, rested, stirred, and separated into curd that matures for approximately one hour before being stretched and molded in hot salted water. The company exclusively uses Jersey cow's milk sourced from a single family farm in New Market, Virginia, approximately 75 miles from the Sterling plant, on the basis that Jersey milk has the highest butterfat and protein content of all dairy breeds. All products are pasteurized, free of rBST hormones, and made with vegetarian rennet; the company is classified as small-business exempt by the FDA and does not publish nutritional information.

The business model is direct-to-consumer only, with all sales executed face-to-face at farmers markets across the Washington DC metropolitan area on Saturdays (Leesburg, Reston, Alexandria, Falls Church) and Sundays (Dupont Circle, Bethesda, Mosaic District/Vienna-Fairfax). No preorders, no direct factory sales, no retail distribution, and no active restaurant partnerships are offered. The company is unencumbered by outside capital - no funding rounds, no private equity, no institutional investors are recorded - and is operated as a lifestyle-scale artisan business with 11-50 employees.

Name

Blue Ridge Dairy Co.

Legal name

Blue Ridge Dairy Co.

Website

https://blueridgedairy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Ridge Dairy Co. is a Sterling, Virginia-based artisan dairy producer founded in 1999 that handcrafts fresh mozzarella, ricotta, feta, creme fraiche, and Greek-style yogurt from Jersey cow's milk, selling exclusively at farmers markets across the Washington DC metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Dairy Products

NAICS

Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Yogurt & Cultured Dairy Products Manufacturing (Kefir, Sour Cream, Labneh) (AFAKAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Artisan dairy products
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Greek style yogurt
• Handcrafted cheese
• Farm fresh dairy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sterling

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Consumer Sales at Farmers Markets: The company sells handcrafted artisan dairy products (mozzarella, ricotta, feta, yogurt) exclusively through farmers markets. No direct factory sales are available. Products include Fresh Mozzarella, Applewood Smoked Mozzarella, Fresh Ricotta, Aged Feta in Brine, Crème Fraîche, and Greek-style YoFresh yogurts in multiple flavors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Blue Ridge Dairy Co. is a small artisanal creamery that handcrafts fresh mozzarella, applewood smoked mozzarella, fresh ricotta, aged feta in brine, crème fraîche, and Greek-style whole milk yogurt (YoFresh) from Jersey cow milk using authentic Italian lactic fermentation methods. All products are sold exclusively at farmers markets in the Washington DC metro area, with no direct factory sales, retail distribution, or preorders accepted.

Product overview

Blue Ridge Dairy Co. is a small artisanal creamery producing handcrafted dairy products from Jersey cow's milk. The product portfolio includes fresh mozzarella, applewood smoked mozzarella, fresh ricotta, aged feta in brine, Greek-style yogurt (YoFresh) in multiple flavors, and creme fraiche. All products are made using authentic Italian lactic fermentation methods and are sold exclusively at farmers markets in the Virginia/Washington DC area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Mozzarella Handcrafted fresh mozzarella made using the authentic Italian lactic fermentation method with Jersey cow milk, sold to individual consumers at farmers markets.
• Applewood Smoked Mozzarella Fresh mozzarella that has been applewood smoked for enhanced flavor, handcrafted from Jersey cow milk and sold at farmers markets.
• Fresh Ricotta
• Aged Feta in Brine
• Creme Fraiche
• Greek YoFresh (Whole Milk)

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Jasper Hill Farm: Vermont artisan cheesemaker producing aged cheeses (and cellar-ripened affineurs for other makers). Comparable on craft cheese manufacturing, premium positioning, and direct-to-consumer farm-to-table ethos.
• Bellwether Farms: Small-scale California creamery producing sheep-milk cheeses and yogurts. Comparable to Blue Ridge as a small-batch dairy combining fresh cheeses and cultured yogurts sold through farmers markets and specialty retail.
• Grafton Village Cheese: Vermont artisan cheese producer offering fresh and aged cheeses. Similar small-scale craft producer competing in the premium specialty cheese category with farmers-market and specialty retail presence.
• Cowgirl Creamery: Artisan cheese producer in Point Reyes, CA making fresh and aged cheeses from a single-source dairy. Matches Blue Ridge on craft methods, single-farm sourcing, and farmers-market/wholesale distribution mix.
• Cypress Grove: California-based artisan cheesemaker known for fresh mozzarella-style and chèvre products. Direct competitor in the premium fresh cheese category with overlapping retail and foodservice channels.
• Vermont Creamery: Small-batch artisan creamery producing fresh cheese, cultured butter, and creme fraiche from high-quality milk. Highly comparable to Blue Ridge Dairy Co. on craft dairy positioning, premium pricing, and farm-sourced inputs.
• Rogue Creamery: Oregon artisan blue cheesemaker with strong brand recognition and a similar craft, single-source milk story. Comparable as a small-batch premium dairy that scaled beyond farmers markets into national distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Fage: Greek-style yogurt leader with national grocery presence. Comparable as a competitor specifically in the Greek yogurt niche that Blue Ridge's YoFresh targets, though at vastly different scale and price points.
• Stonyfield Farm: Largest U.S. organic yogurt brand with broad retail distribution. Not a direct competitor on craft/scale, but a relevant incumbent showing the national ceiling in the yogurt category Blue Ridge participates in.

Emerging players

• Maple Hill Creamery: New York-based grass-fed dairy yogurt brand that scaled a single-source milk story into national retail. Relevant as a comparable growth path for Blue Ridge's Greek YoFresh if it expanded beyond farmers markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blueridgedairy
• Facebookfacebook.com/blueridgedairy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-ridge-dairy-supply

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blue Ridge Dairy Co.