Q-and-A with John Esh of Goot Essa (Holiday Cheese & Fudge Gift Basket Giveaway)
This summer we learned about Goot Essa, an Amish cheese maker in central Pennsylvania.
The business had adapted to the recent disruption and started selling their foods online (with non-Amish help to run the website).
Last week I spoke with Goot Essa’s founder, John Esh Jr.
John has kindly answered some questions – about his business, personal favorite cheeses, his family’s Christmas Day activities, and his Centre County community.
Goot Essa is a new advertiser here, and John has also offered to give away a holiday gift basket to an Amish America reader – this tasty-looking collection, called the Country Basket:
Goot Essa’s Country Basket
Here’s the description:
Cheeses:
4 oz. Old German Weissa Kase
4 oz. Mountain Home Woodsmoked Cheddar
4 oz. Garden Pepper Jack
6 oz. Der Weichen Gehl
4 oz. Mountain Valley Sharp Cheddar
Condiments:
1.5 oz. Autumn Dawn Apple Butter
1.5 oz. Sweet & Spicy Dipping Mustard
1.5 oz. Nittany Valley Pure Honey
1.5 oz. Gideon’s Sweet Dipping Mustard
Fudges:
3.5 oz. Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
3.5 oz. Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge
Container: 12 x 12 basket
How to Enter to win the Goot Essa Country Basket
If you’d like to enter for a chance to win the Country Basket, simply leave a comment on this post.
I’ll draw the winner at random and announce it here in a separate post on next Monday, December 14.
Holiday Host cutting board assortment
Q-and-A with John Esh Jr. of Goot Essa
Amish America: How did Goot Essa get started?
John Esh: Nineteen years ago – my dairy nutritionist Bob Patton kept asking – how are you going to keep the farm in the family? We have a small dairy herd and realized that we couldn’t compete with the large farms. We considered our options and chose to start making specialty cheeses.
The Esh family farm in Centre County, PA
Amish America: Who are the other families and farms involved in the business?
John Esh: We buy our goat milk from two Amish farm families and the sheep milk from three Amish farm families. We use their milk to make cheese with.
What’s the community like where you live?
We have about 600 Amish families in the four valleys that we live in. There are about 14 Amish youth groups included in the 600 families.
“Our first cheese cave”
Which is your personal favorite cheese or cheeses?
For breakfast with bacon and eggs I enjoy the Mt. Valley Sharp Cheddar. For a snack I enjoy Felsa Yehr with coffee. For lunch Der Weichen Gehl melted on a sandwich. For dinner some Der Edel bleu Kase with steak.
What are your family’s favorite cheeses?
Old German Weissa Kase with apple butter, Marn vom Berge Kase with strawberry cranberry preserve, Der Edel Bleu Kase with raspberry-red beet spread.
Christmas Pleasures gift basket
Why do customers like your cheese? What do they tell you?
They generally are people who appreciate good quality food. They say it is rare to find so many outstanding/high quality cheeses from one small producer.
What are the gift baskets like?
45 different assortments featuring our 19 cheeses, 13 condiments, 5 fudges. A wide range of cutting boards, handmade Amish baskets, wooden crates.
Christmas Morning basket
How has your family & community been handling the 2020 covid situation?
School was shut down this spring for the last 7 weeks. We had no church services for about 8 weeks.
How do you and your family usually spend Christmas Day and the season?
We enjoy all being together on Christmas Day singing songs, visiting, and enjoying cheese and charcuterie and dessert plates.
Goot Essa cheese shop
What’s one lesson or thing you’ve learned while running Goot Essa?
I’ve met some really nice people – chefs at the restaurants that we work with who also enjoy showing me what they make.
Christmas Party basket
Where can people get your cheese and baskets, and which are some of your most popular items?
Some of the most popular: Mt. Valley Sharp Cheddar, Cheese Lover’s Dream, Country Basket, Country Party. (800) 490-4387, gootessacheese.com
Gift basket giveaway
I love this article. Actually I love all your articles. So glad we can learn about such a great company.
Thank you Debra! Very kind of you. I enjoyed doing this one 🙂
Yum!
This basket looks wonderful!
Giveaway
The Amish always have such good food. I would love to try these cheeses and fudge.
Holiday Cheese & Fudge Gift Basket Giveaway
I read a lot of Amish books. Now being able to try one of their fudge and cheese baskets would be great. Something that you can say made by hands.
Thank You
Great business!
Though I didn’t win the giveaway, I purchased some cheese for my mom and stepdad for the holidays. It was very well-received!!
Looking forward to doing some Holiday shopping with you.
Saw your ad in the “Christmas In The Valley” flyer. Will be stopping in soon!
Q and A with John Esh of Good Essa (Holiday Cheese and Fudge Gift Basket Giveaway)
What a thoughtful gesture to give away some wonderful Amish products. It would be great to win so I could try goat/sheep cheese and the other Amish goodies offered! Merry Christmas to all!
Holiday Cheese & Fudge Gift
I love cheese, fudge, and toppings!! Pick me!!
I’d love to win your cheese basket. We love different cheeses.
Thank you so much
Love cheese
Love to try new cheeses. Love your website. Merry Christmas.
The products look absolutely delicious!