Born into a milk-making family, owner Amy Rowbottom brings equal devotion to cheese craftsmanship, local dairy farms, and giving back to the community. All Crooked Face cheeses are handcrafted with limited ingredients and high-quality, preservative-free whole milk from a local farm. Current offerings include fresh and aged cheeses such as cold smoked ricotta, fresh ricotta, a Havarti-style cheese, and an aged raclette — all known for their creamy, rich flavor and texture.

In 2019, Rowbottom launched her own creamery and storefront where she could make, package, and sell her cheese alongside cured meats and other local provisions from over a dozen Maine producers. Fair Food Fund supported the expansion with a $10,000 loan that funded electrical and plumbing improvements. The investment also provided critical working capital as the pandemic continued to disrupt business and supply chains.

Despite the strains of COVID, Crooked Face Creamery’s business exploded in the past year, with a more than 1,000 percent increase in cheese sales from 2019 to 2020. In addition to retail sales, Crooked Face also is finding increased traction in wholesale markets. Such growth is allowing Rowbottom to hire her first part-time employee so she can focus exclusively on cheesemaking.

2021 is off to an equally strong start: Crooked Face Creamery rose to the top of more than 1,900 applicants to be a finalist in the 11th annual national Good Food Awards.