About the Farm
Peter and Elizabeth Mulholland, started Valley View Cheese in 1998 on Elizabeth’s family farm. The name Valley View was given to the farm in the early 20th century when previous owners transformed an 1830s farmhouse into a “gentlemen’s” summer home. Today the house and barn sit on a high hill with expansive views of the Ipswich River, the small town of Topsfield and the wooded rolling hills of Essex County in northeastern Massachusetts.
Valley View Farm survives as the only dairy in Topsfield and the only cheese producer in Essex County. With kids, human and goat, running through the kitchen, yard and barn, the Mulhollands produce handcrafted farmstead goat milk and artisanal cow milk cheeses for fine food restaurants and groceries and now retail sale. We take pride in our products and our work in preserving the rural scenery, small town atmosphere and farming way of life into the 21st century.
About Us
Peter grew up in neighboring Ipswich sailing and fishing. Always interested in machinery, carpentry and manufacturing, he saw farmstead cheesemaking as a way to a "renaissance" lifestyle. One part animal husbandmen, one part mechanic, one part carpenter, foodie and on and on. He also works off the farm as a registered investment advisor at Phalanx Asset Management in Topsfield.
Valley View Farm is Elizabeth's family home. She left it's tranquility to study history at Bowdoin College and historic preservation at the University of Pennsylvania. Still very much involved in preserving the architectural heritage of New England, Elizabeth divides her time caring for sons Andrew and Henry and the goats, making and selling cheese and volunteering in her community to preserve and promote history, architecture, farming and life in a small town.
Elizabeth's mother Mary Brown is also a critical part of Valley View Farm. The actual owner of the farm, Mary helps keep life on the farm and in the house running smoothly. Her main responsibility is taking care of the annual crop of goat kids. They are treated to the "good life" by starting out in her kitchen, where most folks like to hang out when visiting the farm. Mary is also the main deliverer of Valley View's cheeses on the North Shore.
Valley View Farm also raises chickens, turkeys and bees and every March boils down sap from the Farm's & neighboring maple trees to produce about
40 gallons of syrup.
