Helen Cowan
Helen Cowan joined Twig Farm in June of 2015 with credentials tailor-made for this line of work. Throughout high school and college, she worked part-time at her local veterinary clinic in Vergennes, Vermont. Shortly after graduating from Cornell, where she studied biology and animal science, Helen spent a year at a small cow dairy in Addison, Vermont, helping to raise and care for calves and pigs and experimenting with small scale home cheesemaking in her spare time.
Nowadays, you will find her merrily crafting our Mixed Wheels and Squares, often whilst singing everything ranging from a madrigal to the latest Adele cut. (While in college, Helen was part of the Cornell University Chorus and the After Eight A Cappella Group, so this girl has chops.) She is a maestro with fencing, which comes in handy when practicing intensive rotational grazing. And while she’s an ace when it comes to monitoring the microflora in our cellar and helping to draft a notoriously arduous HAACP Plan, her true passion is animal care. She’s happiest when nuzzling the various members of our herd, mostly especially the loquacious Boca. (See: goats who think they are cows.)
Favorite Cheese to eat: Big Cow
Favorite Cheese to Make: Washed Wheel
Hobbies: Crocheting, gardening, making soup, playing Pokemon, refining her sarcastic wit
Side hustles: officiating weddings, knitting cat toys, reading fanfic
Michael Lee
Michael Lee is the artist and brawn behind Twig Farm. He has a vision and passion which inspires our business and sometimes wears us out.
Favorite cheese to eat: Mixed Drum
Favorite cheese to make: Square
Hobbies: Biking, Ordering Wine, Baseball
Side hustles: Cider Making, Four Winds Science Teacher, Duck Eggs
Emily Sunderman
Emily Sunderman is Twig Farm’s musician bookkeeper and accountant. Her accounting career began right after graduating from Hampshire College in 1994 where she studied painting. Her father trapped her en route from college to New York City to teach her the rudiments of Microsoft Excel which combined with her high word per minute typing skills got her a job doing payroll, invoicing and accounts receivable for a construction company which then led to a business analysis career in finance and media including a stint as a business consultant for a mutual fund accounting company. She doesn’t paint anymore. Not true, she’s started painting the barn. Everyone is grateful that she makes sure the employees and bills are paid and that she stays out of the way for the most part. She updates our web site when she feels like it as well but mostly spends her time practicing her violin.
Favorite cheese to eat: Tomme
Favorite cheese to make: Not involved with that
Hobbies: Facebook, Practicing, Walking the dog, Teaching Suzuki violin lessons
