What Boxcarr Handmade Cheese does

Boxcarr Handmade Cheese is a farmstead artisan cheese producer based at 2207 Carr Store Road in Cedar Grove, North Carolina. The creamery was completed in April 2015 by co-founders Austin Genke, Samantha Genke, and Dani Copeland, building on the parent Boxcarr Farms operation that began in 2009. The company manufactures handcrafted cheese from a herd of more than 120 mixed-breed dairy goats managed on-farm, blended with cow milk sourced from nearby local dairies in an Italian-farmstead-inspired tradition. The product portfolio spans 18 distinct varieties across bloomy-rind (Cottonbell, Cottonseed, Cottonbloom), washed-rind and beer-washed (Lissome, Nimble), ash-dusted robiolas (Rocket's Robiola, Rocketeer's Robiola), smoked and pimentón-rubbed (Redbud, Campo), aged firm styles (Zephyr, Winsome, Petra), and fresh spreadable formats (Freshen in five flavors), with one charitable line — Supporting Our Farmers' Cheese — that donates one pound to local food banks for every three pounds sold.

Distribution is a multi-channel DTC and wholesale hybrid. The company sells at seven or more weekly farmers markets across North Carolina's Triangle region (Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Cary, Eno River, South Durham, Downtown Mebane), offers twice-weekly farm pick-up at the Cedar Grove creamery, and ships nationally via UPS/FedEx. Wholesale placement includes Whole Foods, Durham CO-OP, Weaver Street Markets, Wine Authorities, Orrman's Cheese Shop, New Hope Market, and Broken Spoke Farm. Restaurant accounts include Italian (Napoli, Gocciolina), French (Vin Rouge), and farm-to-table establishments (Hawthorne & Wood, Alley Twenty Six, Tandem, Snap Pea Catering). A three-tier Cheese CSA (Dabbler $325, Artisan $455, Aficionado $780 over 26 weeks) provides recurring revenue, supplemented by bundled gift packs (Sampler Six Pack, Perfect Cheese Plate, Fun Four Pack, More Mild Party, Double Trouble), branded merchandise (hoodies, tees, caps, beanies, tanks), and digital gift cards priced $25-$600.

Marketing is community-driven via Instagram content, an email newsletter, and in-store Whole Foods tastings. The business has earned American Cheese Society awards (2016, 2018, 2025), Good Food Awards (2017, 2019, 2025), NC State Fair Best of Show (2015, 2019), and a 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest Bronze Medal. Boxcarr remains privately held by the Genke family and Dani Copeland with no institutional capital; Paul "GrandPaul" Genke handles logistics remotely from Florida. Operations are multi-generational, with extended family members contributing to markets, herd management, and cheesemaking.

Name

Boxcarr Handmade Cheese

Legal name

Boxcarr Handmade Cheese

Website

https://boxcarrhandmadecheese.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Boxcarr Handmade Cheese is a Cedar Grove, North Carolina farmstead artisan cheese maker producing 18+ cheese varieties from its own 120+ dairy goat herd and local cow milk, sold through Triangle-area farmers markets, online shipping, CSA subscriptions, and regional retail and restaurant wholesale accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Cheeses

NAICS

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

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA), Cheese Aging/Affineur Services (Maturation & Cave-Aging) (AFAHABAH), Private Label & Contract Cheese Manufacturing (AFAHABAJ), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC)

Keywords

• Artisan cheese
• Farmstead cheesemaking
• Goat milk cheese
• Cheese subscription
• Farmers market cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Cheese Sales: Individual cheese sales through farmers markets, farm pick-up, and online shipping. Prices range from $10-$22 for individual cheeses, with combo packages and subscription boxes available.
2. Cheese CSA Subscription: Three-tier cheese CSA program with biweekly farm pick-up: Dabbler ($325), Artisan ($455), and Aficionado ($780) for 13 boxes over 26 weeks.
3. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold from $25-$600, redeemable at checkout.
4. Wholesale to Retailers: Wholesale distribution to grocery stores, natural food markets, cheese shops, and wine shops including Durham CO-OP, Weaver Street Markets, Whole Foods, Wine Authorities, and Orrman's Cheese Shop.
5. Restaurant Sales: Direct sales to restaurants including Hawthorne & Wood, Napoli, Alley Twenty Six, Vin Rouge, Tandem, and Snap Pea Catering.
6. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including t-shirts ($18+), hoodies ($30.50+), trucker caps ($25), racerback tanks ($22.50), raglan shirts ($23), and beanies ($21).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Boxcarr Handmade Cheese is a farmstead creamery that produces small-batch artisan cheeses from cow milk and its own farmstead goat milk. The portfolio spans bloomy rind, washed rind, ash-dusted, smoked, fresh spreadable, and aged varieties, sold directly to consumers at farmers markets, via farm pick-up, and online shipping, plus wholesale to specialty retailers and restaurants.

Product overview

Boxcarr Handmade Cheese is a farmstead artisan cheese company producing handcrafted cheeses from their own farmstead goat milk and locally sourced cow milk. Their product portfolio includes 18 distinct cheese varieties ranging from fresh spreadable cheeses (Freshen) to aged bloomy rind, washed rind, and smoked cheeses. Core cheese products include Rocket's Robiola, Cottonbell, Rosie's Robiola, Cottonseed, Redbud, Nimble, Doeling, Rocketeer's Robiola, Cottonbloom, Campo, Flint Ridge Feta, Lissome, Zephyr, Winsome, Petra, Rudi's Robiola, and Supporting Our Farmers' Cheese. They also offer subscription programs (CSA Cheese Subscription and CHEESE CSA), bundled cheese packages (Sampler Six Pack, Perfect Cheese Plate, Fun Four Pack, More Mild Party, Double Trouble), and branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and gift cards. Their cheeses are available for farm pick-up, shipping, and at farmers markets throughout North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rocket's Robiola

Quantifiable outcome

• Donated nearly 1,000 pounds of cheese per week during COVID-19 pandemic
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Boxcarr FarmscoreOthersRelated family farm entity at the same Cedar Grove location. Manages the dairy goat herd that provides farmstead goat milk for cheese production. Website at Boxcarrfarms.com. Boxcarr Handmade Cheese uses milk from this farm along with locally sourced cow milk.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cypress Grove: Pioneering American artisan goat cheese brand (Humboldt Fog) known for bloomy rind and ash-dusted styles. Directly comparable farmstead-adjacent positioning, similar product formats (squarelets, ash-dusted rinds), and a similar multi-channel approach to specialty retail and foodservice.
• Rogue Creamery: Oregon-based artisan cheese producer famous for its award-winning blue and aged cheeses. Similar farmstead origin story, sustained award recognition, multi-channel distribution (retail, foodservice, DTC), and a portfolio of differentiated SKUs in the premium segment.
• Jasper Hill Farm: Vermont-based farmstead cheesemaker producing award-winning bloomy rind, washed rind, and aged cow's milk cheeses. Comparable small-batch farmstead model, strong Direct-to-Wholesale and mail-order business, and similar premium pricing and chef relationships.
• Vermont Creamery: Artisan cheesemaker producing goat and cow milk cheeses (including fresh, bloomy rind, and aged styles) with national distribution. Highly comparable farmstead-style positioning, multi-channel go-to-market, and award-winning portfolio targeting similar chef and specialty retail customers.
• Haystack Mountain Bean & Cheese: Colorado-based artisan cheesemaker specializing in farmstead goat and cow milk cheeses. Comparable small-batch, farmstead-anchored production, with overlap in bloomy rind and aged product formats targeting natural foods and specialty retail.
• Firefly Farms: Maryland-based farmstead goat cheese producer with award-winning bloomy rind and aged styles. Comparable small-batch farmstead production, premium positioning, and a similar mix of farmers market, wholesale, and DTC channels.
• Capriole Dairy: Indiana-based farmstead goat cheese producer with a long-running portfolio of bloomy rind and aged goat cheeses. Directly comparable farmstead model, award recognition, and a similar chef-and-specialty-retail customer base.

Regional players

• Sweet Grass Dairy: Georgia-based farmstead cheesemaker known for aged raw and pasteurized cow milk cheeses, with a similar Southeast farmstead-anchored positioning and specialty retail/foodservice distribution. Comparable artisan product portfolio and multi-channel approach, but operating in a different region.
• Looking Glass Creamery: North Carolina-based artisan cheesemaker producing cow and goat milk cheeses. Highly relevant as a fellow NC farmstead producer with overlapping Triangle-region distribution, farmers market presence, and chef relationships, though operating in a different part of the state.

Broad incumbents

• Tillamook County Creamery Association: Large-scale, farmer-owned dairy cooperative with a national cheese portfolio spanning natural, aged, and specialty cheeses. Overlaps with Boxcarr at retail and foodservice in the broader cheese category, but operates at much greater scale and across commodity as well as premium products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/boxcarrhandmadecheese
• Xx.com/boxcarrcheese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boxcarr-farms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Boxcarr Handmade Cheese