Due north from historic Hillsborough on Highway 86, past the familiar pine groves and derelict barns of an earlier farming era, stretches Carr Store Road in Cedar Grove, North Carolina. This is where you’ll find Boxcarr Handmade Cheese, a first generation farming family working among generations-old farmsteads still in operation. They have been honing their skills for more than a decade, and have been doing so on their own slice of southern red clay since 2009. Their family is Austin Genke, his wife Dani, and sister Samantha, and they own and operate Boxcarr Farms, with 30 acres of vegetables, pigs, chickens and goats. The family started a food truck and catering company using their own produce and meat, and did it while holding down “real” jobs to realize their ultimate goal: making and selling handcrafted artisan cheese to you!

In April 2014 the family broke ground on a 2,900 square foot cheese-making facility and started making cheese in early 2015. This wouldn’t have happened without the support of friends and family.

For now, Boxcarr sources Jersey and Holstein cow’s milk from a long-time neighbor, and Alpine, Nubian and Sannen goat’s milk from another nearby dairy. With Italian roots stretching from the Piedmont to Sicily, and with the help of local formaggiaia Alessandra Trompeo, Boxcarr’s cheese is inspired by the small country farmsteads of Italy. Their experience and dedication to family, hard work, and good food is the soul of Boxcarr Handmade Cheese.