5 Spoke Creamery – We’re All About the Bike
We are often asked about the meaning behind our name – 5 Spoke Creamery. There isn’t a simple answer; like any great cheese, it’s complex. The unifying theme, though, is the bicycle.

Our first “spoke” of inspiration came from Alan’s lifelong love of bicycling .

Growing up in the Midwest, Alan learned to ride a two wheeler on an uncle’s old balloon tire bike that was way too big for him. He still remembers the people who were there, the surroundings and the smells of Spring in the air. He wasn’t afraid of falling; he was too busy taking it all in. Alan has always considered bicycling the best way to really see what’s around him and be in the experience, rather than racing through it.

Separate from his own life experiences, friends and their adventures are a source of inspiration for Alan, especially our friends David and Lynda. Every summer, they take off to some remote part of the world on their tandem bicycle without knowing what’s ahead of them. Anything is possible, including getting caught in the rain in some out of the way European village and no place to sleep.

That’s also how he views cheese making – you need to be able to see what’s going on, which means only working with small batches where you can react to what’s happening in front of you.You also need to start with superior quality raw milk.

At 5 Spoke Creamery, we embrace their attitude that every turn in the road offers interesting possibilities and salute their willingness to approach life as a journey, one turn at a time. We call this the “Art of Possibilities”.

Believing in possibilities was key to allowing us to follow Alan’s passion to make superior tasting, small batch raw milk cheeses (that happen to be kosher), let alone thinking it possible to buy and restore a 100 year old dairy farm and build a cheese making operation from the ground up.

Finally, our name reflects our belief that like riding a bike, balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle; that it is possible to enjoy fine, artisanal cheeses if it’s balanced with physical activity. We recommend bike riding.

So now you know; we are all about the bike and how it symbolizes our belief in taking the time to be in the moment, open to opportunities and the possibilities that sprout from leading a balanced lifestyle.