About

Perrystead Dairy is an urban Philadelphia producer of internationally award-winning American original cheeses, focusing on the next generation of sustainable dairy.

Our novel model is merely common sense for the 21st century: Support rural dairy farmers by paying them well for their hard work and excellent product and take the cheesemaking off their hand. Then, build value in their milk by turning it into superb cheese right here in our own urban community, situated in proximity to talent, markets, hospitality, national distribution networks and hungry cheese lovers.

The Chain of Goodness

The chain that links soil to what goes in our bodies can have different paths. We believe in a chain of goodness where the soil first treated well, then better crops follow. The animal feeding on those crops will be healthier and happier and produce quality milk for which a farmer get paid sustainable premium. We continue this by turning it into wholesome cheese right here in our urban community, giving stores a healthy margin and finally ending up with a joyful healthy experience to those who consume it. Everything and everyone on this chain gains something. This is a core principle of our experiment in urban cheesemaking. 

After 7 millenia or cheesemaking, our oldest cured food counts thousands of versions. Whether spreadable, fresh, hard, aged, melty, funky or blue; all cheese share a single principle: Gather the solids out of the milk. Eat it. Small variations to the same idea had resulted in an endlessly diverse food category. These variations have always been the product of nature's conditions and human circumstances.

So why American originals? Why now?
Our period in history is no less important than any other. Human circumstances brought us to a melting pot at a time of great knowledge and access. Respecting and using some of the traditions and techniques that brought us thus far does not mean we need to mimic cheese born to other people in other places and different history. It's time we have our own. 

Humorly dubbed "Renegade cheesemaker" by Culture Magazine, "Cheese Savant" by The Inquirer, Yoav Perry has been making cheese for over 15 years, during which he practiced, taught, and consulted to others on cheesemaking, bacterial cultures, organoleptics, and aging methods. Yoav previously had a company supplying small artisan dairies in over 30 countries. He contributed and was featured on publications such as The New York Time, The Inquirer, Food & Wine, Daily Mail, Quarz, Culture Magazine, The Oxford Companion to Cheese, and others.

After many years in New York City, Yoav and family moved to Philadelphia where his obsessive pursuit to define American original cheese turned into an urban creamery.

A life-long cook and fermenter, prior to chasing his passion, Yoav had a career in design for tech startups. His approach to cheese is guided by the same design disciplines.