One of the most interesting tours on the island of Puerto Rico brings folks to Vaca Negra in Hatillo, Puerto Rico where artisan cheese and yogurt is made.
They make 5 different kinds of cheese and 6 flavors of yogurt. It’s all lactose-free.
Visitors see how the cheese is made, sample the products and even have the opportunity to make their own cheese. It’s a “must see” destination spot on the island.
The owner of Vaca Negra showing a tour group how cheese curds are cut.
Proud makers of their own cheese.
Before the hurricane on September 20, 2017
These photos come from Trip Advisor.com:
Wanda Otero, founder and owner of Vaca Negra
Some of the cows are a breed (derived from Holsteins) which is unique to the island.
Wanda with a tour group.
Interesting molds on the top shelf.
As mentioned earlier, visitors have the opportunity to make their own cheese. Vaca Negra then ships them to their makers after they have matured for 2 months.
Their cave
One of several YouTube videos about Vaca Negra:
Disaster
This picture says it all.
After the hurricane
Fortunately, Vaca Negra survived the hurricane and power was restored to Hatillo by October 4th.
They had sealed the cave in plastic, which Wanda removed October 5th.
She was thrilled to see that the cave remained intact.
They had to sell their products directly because the distribution chain was disrupted.
The water has receded, but, many of the cows on the island are homeless now and it’s hard for them to find shade because so many of the trees are gone.
Scene from a video posted October 11 (click here)
Vaca Negra resumed their tours October 28th, 5 weeks after Maria first made landfall in Puerto Rico.
We can help
It’s a blessing that they are able to carry on, but they need our support. Wanda told us their high end product is not a “primary buy” to people on the island right now.
So, if you’re planning to give cheese to anyone on your holiday gift list, this would be a good time to order that cheese from Puerto Rico. They ship to any of the states.
The website is in Spanish, but the prices are in dollars, so you can easily order.
CABACHUELOS
CAPAEZ
MONSERRATE
MONTEBELLO
AUSUBAL
