Grass Root Dairies

In 1981, the Gort family immigrated from Holland and purchased a 45-acre farm in Salmon Arm, establishing Gort's Gouda Cheese Farm in 1983. Initially, they produced plain Gouda and Quark. Over the years, the farm expanded its offerings to include spiced Gouda, Maasdammer, yogurt, and more. In August 2007, ownership transferred to the Wikkerink family from Agassiz. The farm has grown from local sales to distributing products throughout British Columbia and shipping cheese across Canada. Notably, they won a Champion Firm Cheese Gold Medal in 2004 at the Canadian Grande Prix.

The farm's cows are exclusively grass-fed, grazing on pastures from May to October and consuming organic hay grown on the farm during the winter months. The milk, rich in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, is processed into various dairy products without preservatives, maintaining a commitment to organic practices. The farm emphasizes the importance of timing, temperature, and cleanliness in their cheesemaking process to ensure high-quality products.

Visitors are encouraged to explore the family farm, interact with the cows and calves, sample products, and enjoy the picnic area. The farm offers milk in reusable glass bottles and plastic bottles, and their products are distributed to various locations in the Shuswap, Okanagan, and the lower mainland of British Columbia. The farm also ships cheese throughout Canada via Canada Post.