Maytag Dairy Farms

What a great stop. The people here were so friendly. Merna and Vicky helped us out and they are the nicest people.
We came in on vacation to get some cheese and send some back to our Grandma and they were so nice about it. Merna gave us a free t shirt because we were doing something nice for Grandma how cool is that.
We also got their extra Shar cheddar and 8 oz wedge to go. Such good cheese and perfect little shop.

Maytag Dairy is a must visit whenever I come to town! Their blue cheese is the best EVER! If you stop for a visit, make sure to sample all the varieties in the case. The Edam is a personal fave for me. I was pleasantly surprised this visit with the smell of fresh popped popcorn when I walked in this time. They now have their own popcorn, which is super yummy! They give you a generous sample in a cute Maytag Dairy to go cup. Back to cheese… They have aged cheddars, Swiss and baby Swiss just to name a few. They ship too! So they can send it home so you not have to travel with it. Bonus! I’m loyal to Maytag for the blue and alway will be. :)

Definitely stop! The tour is pretty quick, yet interesting and the people that work there are fantastic. This is pretty much what Iowa is about — friendly, smart people doing high quality work.
The blue cheese is fantastic! A lot of Iowans don’t realize that there is a gourmet cheese factory smack in the middle of their state.

I ordered some Maytag Blue that was shipped to my home in MA. It was packed absolutely perfectly and arrived quickly. I had their blue for years when I lived in SF but can’t find it in MA so to be able to get is shipped is a thrill and a luxury. What a great product and a great company.

I enjoyed visiting last week. The ladies that work here are so friendly! They sell a number of products but only several are made here. My favorite is the blue cheese — a world class product.
I did not tour the facility. It is inconvenient for them to do tours and I have seen inside cheese factories before. No biggie. The gift shop is worth visiting. I didn’t know before that they make a million pounds of cheese per year.
If you are in the area and love blue cheese, you have to stop by here. Wow, is it good stuff! Try some melted on a burger or steak!

They have the best Blue Cheese ever! It is complex, creamy and rich. I could eat it forever. My family stopped by on a trip out west and the staff was very friendly. They let us sample anything we wanted. Unfortunately we got there too late to take a tour. Maybe next time.

Their blue cheese is one of the best. Still prefer the VT cheddar (eg Cabot) but nothing Maytag makes is mediocre. All good.
…but what I wanted to tell you about was the folks that work there. We were doing a long trip on 80 and passed nearby so we decided to stop on a Saturday and unfortunately go there 15 – 20 minutes after closing. We drove away disappointed and one of the employees chased us down in her car and handed us the cheese that she had bought for her family. Wouldn’t let us pay for it.
These folks should be a customer service case study in business school!

A national treasure, and just outside little ‘ol Newton, Iowa. Stopped by the Maytag Dairy Farm (which is just that — it looks like all the other tidy but otherwise non-​descript Iowa farms that dot the countryside) and bought a wheel of cheese from the fridge they keep inside their little «office» building. Their office is staffed by three or four clerical workers sitting at desks that were probably acquired circa 1960 (both the clerical workers and the desks!).
We went straight to Rube’s steakhouse in Montour 30 miles away, grilled our steaks, and spread the blue cheese right on top. Heaven.

Oh my, oh my, oh my! If there is a heaven for a cheese lover. It could quite possibly be Newton Iowa.
While visiting the family for Thanksgiving we were able to visit the Maytag Dairy Farm, the birth place of the beloved Maytag Blue Cheese in 1941. While they don’t give an official tour, upon request you can be treated to a rather old, but still important video about the history and entire production process.
After the video, one of the extremely nice ladies will walk you to the glassed-​in rooms where dozens of employees meticulously hand cut and wrap the cheese to order. It’s quite a process to watch and a little like the Willy Wonka factory. Unfortunately, you’re not able to tour the farm and caves at the bottom of the hill where they actually make and ripen the cheese, but the tour they have gives you a good feel for the process.
At the end of the tour you’re treated to a large sample of the blue goodness on a cracker topped with a drizzle of honey. The honey was new to me, and SO delicious.