One of America’s oldest small businesses is up for sale. It could be yours—if you have enough cheddar.

Crowley Cheese, based in Healdville, Vt., has been around for more than 200 years, and the property of Galen Jones and his wife Jill Jones for the past 16. Now the company is on the block, with Galen, who is 68, ready to step away from the business of churning out handcrafted artisanal American cheese.

“I’m an old man, and I’m ready to retire,” he said. 

The asking price, $2.5 million, would get a buyer the factory, about 16 acres of surrounding land, cheesemaking equipment, the brand, and some 50,000 pounds of aged cheese. The business, which employs five people, is “growing and profitable,” according to Galen Jones. 

A buyer would also get the recipe for Crowley’s cheese, described as having yogurt-like qualities that distinguish it from other cheddars. It sells in blocks and wheels; an 8-ounce block starts at $10, while a 2.5 pound wheels starts at $50.

Making Cheese ‘Is Not For Everyone’

The Crowley facility, which is considered Vermont’s oldest active cheese factory and one of the oldest in the country, produces 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of aged cheddar cheese annually using a recipe that hasn’t changed since 1824. Its cheese is shipped nationwide from Healdville, about a 150-mile drive northwest of Boston. 

The Joneses bought Crowley Cheese in 2009. Galen Jones knew people who were part of the previous investor group, he said, and happened to cross paths with the lead investor while working in digital media. (He declined to disclose the purchase price.) Reminded of the business, he looked it up online. 

“We had a pretty terrible economy in 2009, and Crowley Cheese was also struggling,” Jones said. Unable to stop thinking about it, he reached out to the owners and soon visited the factory.

“Six weeks after that, my wife and I were operating this singular business, which was a simple factory in the middle of the countryside,” he said. “It was serendipity, if you will.”

The “factory,” a two-story historic farmhouse built in 1882 where cheese is handmade using raw milk with no additives or preservatives, includes a store and is open to visitors. The Joneses renovated the property and worked to improve production processes.

Jones said he’s received plenty of inquiries about the business since announcing its availability earlier this month. “Some people are interested in the idea but not well equipped to take on the business,” he said. “With others, there’s serious interest.”

The ideal buyer, he said, would be someone who could take “what we’ve been doing for the last 16 years to the next level,” he said. “Cheesemaking is not for everyone. From my point of view, it’s very important we find ownership that can successfully take the business forward.”