15-year-old Central Ohio cheese producer closing, cites ‘unpredictable economy’

Ohio’s first producer of sheep milk cheese is saying baaaaabye. 

“After a lot of soul searching and analyzing of the continuing challenges of surviving in an unpredictable economy, we have come to the heartbreaking decision to close our doors. Kokoborrego abides too,” said Kokoborrego Cheese’s owners Lisa Sippel and Ben Baldwin in an announcement on their website.

The cheese company, located in Mount Gilead, first opened in 2011. While they said that producing sheep milk cheese is no easy feat, the owners emphasized that it was “100% worth it.”

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Their announcement continued, “We have fought since then to do everything we could to keep this thing going, because it’s what we – and he – wanted. However, making this decision now, when it’s so clear to us, he would undoubtedly agree.”

For now, Kokoborrego Cheese can still be found at Worthington Farmers Market for the remainder of the indoor season, and the company said they’ll be at Worthington and Clintonville markets through spring and summer, but “it’s hard to predict a detailed timeline…our goal is to communicate any changes to our plan along the way.”

They’re also planning on donating several hundred pounds of their inventory of aged cheese to Mid-Ohio Food Collective. 

If you’re interested in donating to help with packaging and labeling supplies that maximize shelf stability/space at the food bank, donate here.

But just to be clear, “This is not a… ‘Save Kokoborrego’ campaign—our decision is made with clarity and peace.”

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