Golden Ears Cheesecrafters Ltd

Award-winning cheese made on site is the highlight of a gourmet deli and bistro in Maple Ridge, run by one of the city’s pioneering farming families. While Golden Ears Cheesecrafters only opened in 2011, the Davison family has been in Maple Ridge since 1902, and their agricultural roots still show.

As their daughters were nearing adulthood, Kerry Davison and his wife Lynn were pondering what to do with their property — they had a successful hedging cedar business but they didn’t feel that was suited to pass along to their daughters, Jenna and Emma. On the neighbouring property, Kerry’s brother Kevin raised dairy cattle, and the idea of making artisan cheese from a source just next door appealed to everyone in the family.

After an apprenticeship at Farmhouse Cheese in Agassiz, Jenna came home to take her seat as cheese-maker at the facility. Lynn remembers all four family members coming at 3 am to make Golden Ears’ first batch of cheddar. “When Jenna stepped into that room, she was a dynamo,” her mom explains with pride.

Since opening, Jenna has taken charge of the cheese-making side while sister Emma looks after the marketing aspect of the business. Together, they represent the fifth generation of Davisons in the farming business in Maple Ridge.