A Centre County cheesemaker recently earned national recognitions for one of its products and for its business leadership.
Goot Essa owner John Esh was named the 2026 Western Pennsylvania Rural Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The farmstead operation in Howard also took third place in one category at the American Cheese Society’s Judging and Competition.
Esh was honored on May 27 with the SBA award recognizing “rural entrepreneurs who have shown determination in building a business, preserving a way of life and contributing to their local economy,” according to a news release.
After founding Goot Essa in 2001, Esh has grown his family farm into a vertically integrated business that diversified operations and worked through the long-term challenges faced by the dairy industry.
Esh was nominated for the award by the the Penn State and Kutztown Small Business Development Centers.
“To me, this recognition today is really about the incredible team we have here at Goot Essa,” Esh said during his acceptance speech at the award ceremony. “We are where we are today because of their dedication, hard work and commitment to doing things the right way.”
At the American Cheese Society competition on July 8, Goot Essa’s Felsa Yehr claimed bronze in the Open Category for American-Made/International Style cheeses made from sheep’s milk. Felsa Yehr is a manchego-style cheese with a “complex blend of earth, grass and grape undertones” aged for 18 months, according to Goot Essa.
The cheese was judged against more than 1,600 entries from over 200 companies nationwide at the event recognizing American cheesemakers for their craft and commitment to food safety.
Starting out as a small cooperative of Amish dairy farms making cheese from surplus milk, Goot Essa, meaning “good food” in Pennsylvania Dutch, has grown into a cave-aged cheese producer that ships to all 50 states. Each wheel is checked and turned by hand, and the business credits patience and attention for giving each cheese its own flavor and character.
Goot Essa’s retail shop at 351 Wise Road is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. In addition to products for purchase, the shop also offers scheduled cheese cave tours with sample tastings.
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