Abbey of Regina Laudis

What Abbey of Regina Laudis does

Abbey of Regina Laudis is a contemplative Benedictine monastery of women founded in 1947 by Mother Benedict Duss in Bethlehem, Connecticut. The community operates a 400-acre working farm that integrates dairy production (Dutch Belted and Milking Shorthorn heritage cattle), a ~30-head Shetland sheep flock, a beef herd, vegetable gardens, and orchards, alongside seven monastic art studios producing pottery, beeswax candles, leather goods, blacksmithing, woodturning, sculpture, and religious art. The Abbey generates revenue through on-site retail (Monastic Art Shop), wholesale distribution of dairy products via New Morning Market in Woodbury, CT, sales of publications and Gregorian Chant recordings, donations supporting the multi-year New Horizons Renovation Project, and free-admission theater performances at The Gary-The Olivia Theater.

The community's core technology is the 1,300-year-old Benedictine Holy Rule, executed through daily Gregorian Chant Mass and full Divine Office, contemplative prayer, and holy work. Artisanal cheesemaking follows a traditional French technique learned from a third-generation cheesemaker, with raw milk production from heritage breeds and a microbial ecology research basis at the University of Connecticut. The Abbey holds a continuous Dairy of Distinction designation since 1976 and has been featured in major media including HBO's Oscar-nominated God is the Bigger Elvis (2012) and Netflix's Cooked (2016). Mother Dolores Hart, a former Hollywood actress who entered the community in 1963, serves as Dean of Education and is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

As a private religious nonprofit, the Abbey operates without venture capital or public shareholders. Governance is ecclesiastical, led by Mother Abbess Lucia Kuppens (elected 2015) with Mother Olivia Frances Arnold as Prioress and Mother David Serna as Abbess Emerita. The customer base is distributed across individual consumers, spiritual seekers, artisanal food enthusiasts, and religious art collectors, with no single buyer representing material revenue concentration. Distribution is regional (Northeast US), complemented by mail-order publications and global media exposure.

Name

Abbey of Regina Laudis

Legal name

Abbey of Regina Laudis

Website

https://abbeyofreginalaudis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Abbey of Regina Laudis is a 1947-founded Benedictine monastery in Bethlehem, Connecticut operating a 400-acre farm that produces artisanal cheeses, handcrafted monastic art, and Gregorian Chant recordings, supported by donations, on-site retail, and wholesale distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Monastic Artisanal Food and Handcrafts

NAICS

Sheep and Goat Farming (1124), Hay Farming (11194)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Animal (Bovine/Dairy/Beef) Veterinary Services (HLAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nutrition & Production Medicine Advisory (Transition Cow, Performance Optimization) (AFACADAI)

Keywords

• Artisan cheese making
• Monastic handcraft arts
• Benedictine spiritual formation
• Heritage breed dairy farming
• Gregorian chant recordings

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: Monastic Art Shop sells pottery, candles, leather goods, woodturned items, sculptures, cheese, dairy products, wool, yarn, and books. Products available at the on-site Art Shop and at New Morning Market in Woodbury, CT.
2. Hospitality and Guest Program: The Abbey offers monastic internships, guest stays, and hospitality programs for visitors. Theater performances at The Gary-The Olivia Theater are free admission with reserved seating.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations support the New Horizons Renovation Project and general Abbey operations. Donations accepted via PayPal, credit card, telephone, and bank check.
4. Educational Media: Sale of DVDs (documentaries including God is the Bigger Elvis, Work and Pray, The Cheese Nun, Cooked) and CDs (Women in Chant series, Gregorian Chant Master Class) documenting monastic life.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Abbey of Regina Laudis is a contemplative Benedictine monastery that produces and sells artisanal dairy products (notably Bethlehem cheese and Etoile from heritage breed Dutch Belted cattle), handcrafted monastic arts (pottery, beeswax candles, leather goods, blacksmithing, woodturning, sculpture), Gregorian Chant recordings, published books, and provides hospitality, internship, and theater programs at its 400-acre working farm in Bethlehem, Connecticut.

Product overview

Abbey of Regina Laudis is a contemplative Benedictine monastery that operates multiple interconnected product lines. The core offering includes heritage dairy products (Bethlehem, Etoile, and other artisanal cheeses; raw milk; yogurt; ricotta; cloth-bound cheddar) from their Dutch Belted and Milking Shorthorn cattle. They produce monastic art goods including pottery, beeswax candles, leather goods, blacksmithing items, woodturning, and sculpture. Their media/ publishing arm offers Gregorian chant recordings (Women in Chant, Recordáre), educational materials (Gregorian Chant Master Class), and publications (autobiographies, art books). The monastery also operates retail (Monastic Art Shop), educational (Monastic Internship Program), and hospitality services (The Gary-The Olivia Theater, guest hospitality). Products are available through the Art Shop and New Morning Market in Woodbury, CT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Our Lady of the Rock Foundation: Related monastic foundation and retreat center operated separately from the main abbey.

Products and services

• Bethlehem Cheese
• Etoile Cheese
• Raw Milk
• Abbey Yogurt
• Ricotta
• Cloth-Bound Cheddar
• Mozzarella
• Montasio
• Alpine Cheese
• Abbey Ice Cream
• Abbey Pottery
• Abbey Candles
• Abbey Leather Goods
• Abbey Woodturning
• Abbey Blacksmithing
• Abbey Sculpture
• The Artist Remembers: Mother Placid and the Stations of the Cross
• The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows
• Tooley Makes A Friend
• Women in Chant (CD)
• Recordáre (CD)
• The Announcement of Christmas (CD)
• A Gregorian Chant Master Class
• God is the Bigger Elvis (DVD)
• Work and Pray (DVD)
• The Cheese Nun (DVD)
• Novitiate Short Film
• Monastic Art Shop
• Monastic Internship Program
• The Gary-The Olivia Theater
• Guest Hospitality

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• NetflixflagshipOthers · 1 January 2016Netflix streamed the 4-part documentary series Cooked featuring the Abbey in Episode IV Earth - Fermentation's Cold Fire, examining artisanal cheese-making practices.
• CBS Sunday MorningminorOthers · 1 January 2016CBS Sunday Morning featured a segment on the Abbey dairy, cheese-making, and monastic life as part of their food-related programming.
• New Morning MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016Wholesale distribution partner for Abbey dairy products including Bethlehem cheese, sold at New Morning Market and Vitality Center in Woodbury, CT.
• Ignatius PressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Publisher of Mother Dolores Hart's autobiography The Ear of the Heart, available through Ignatius Press online ordering.
• Home Box Office (HBO)flagshipOthers · 1 January 2012HBO produced and distributed the documentary God is the Bigger Elvis about Mother Dolores Hart, which was nominated for an Oscar. The film is available on HBO GO service.
• PBS Home VideominorOthers · 1 January 2006PBS distributed The Cheese Nun documentary about Sister Noella Marcellino's cheese-making journey and expertise.
• Yale Institute of Sacred MusicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Yale Institute produced and distributed Work and Pray documentary about sacred music and monastic life at the Abbey.
• Our Lady of the Rock FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated Benedictine monastery under the same spiritual lineage. Referenced as a connected institution sharing Benedictine monastic tradition.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mount Angel Abbey: Large Benedictine monastery in Oregon with extensive grounds, bookshop, and retreat programs. Broad incumbent comparable for Benedictine monastic operations including hospitality, retreat economy, and gift shop revenue.
• Vermont Creamery: Larger artisanal creamery producing fresh and aged cheeses, butter, and cultured dairy with a heritage-breed sourcing program. Broad incumbent comparable for traditional artisanal cheese and cultured dairy production at greater scale than the Abbey dairy.

Direct peers

• Our Lady of the Rock Foundation: Listed as a related Benedictine monastery under the same spiritual lineage as Abbey of Regina Laudis. Direct peer as a contemplative monastic foundation sharing heritage and likely a subset of operational practices.
• Abbey of Gethsemani: Contemplative Trappist monastery in Kentucky, the oldest in the U.S., best known for Thomas Merton and its own artisanal food production including Gethsemani Farms cheese. Direct comparable as a monastic community combining contemplative life with working farm, artisanal cheese, and retreat/hospitality revenue.
• Jasper Hill Farm: Vermont farmstead cheesemaker producing raw-milk artisanal cheeses (Bayley Hazen Blue, Harbison, Winnimere) using milk from a small Ayrshire herd. Direct comparable for heritage-breed, traditional-method artisanal cheese production at a small scale with regional distribution.
• Consider Bardwell Farm: Vermont farmstead cheesemaker specializing in raw-milk artisanal cheeses from a small heritage-breed herd (Dutch Belted among them). Strong direct comparable given the shared Dutch Belted heritage breed, raw-milk cheesemaking tradition, and small-scale farmstead positioning.
• Monastery of St. Gertrude: Benedictine monastery in Idaho with a working farm, creamery, retreat house, gift shop, and hospitality operations. Direct comparable as a Benedictine women's monastery that monetizes dairy, baked goods, and hospitality similar to Regina Laudis.
• Monks of New Skete: Orthodox Benedictine monastery in Cambridge, NY, operating a working farm, dairy, cheesemaking, and guest retreat programs. Direct comparable as a monastic community combining traditional cheesemaking, contemplative life, and hospitality.
• Glastonbury Abbey: Benedictine monastery in Hingham, MA operating a farm, gift shop, and retreat house. Direct peer as a New England Benedictine monastery combining farm operations, retail, and hospitality.

Emerging players

• Ploughshare Farmstead: Small farmstead cheesemaker in New York producing traditional Alpine and aged cheeses. Emerging player comparable for niche artisanal Alpine-style cheese (Montasio, Alpine) that the Abbey produces.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abbey-of-regina-laudis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Abbey of Regina Laudis