Dear Customers,

As you saw in our summer catalog, we welcomed a new addition to our family this winter. Leo was born on February 17, 2009. My Dad, Lyman, is pretty excited to be a first time grandfather and start new traditions. Just the other day he asked me to bring my son Leo down to the store for a lesson in cutting a one pound slice from our 38 pound wheel of 2 year old Vermont Cheddar Cheese.

When we arrived at the store, which is only 500 feet from our house in the village of Weston, VT we found Grandpa Lyman with the old antique cheese scale. It is the same scale his father Vrest taught him on. Dad thought it would be a good idea to weigh Leo on the cheese scale before he gets too big. Customers gathered around as we posed for this historic shot. I'm proud to show you the new 4th generation shopkeeper, 9th generation Vermonter, and one heck of a good sport being weighed in as our newest family member—complete with his very own shopkeepers apron.

We're excited about traditions, new and old. I hope you get to visit us in Vermont this summer.     -Eliot Orton