Located in the upper reaches of the Hudson River Valley, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company was founded in 1994 by Tom and Nancy Clark, with 150 East Freisian ewes.

The flock now numbers over 1,000 ewes that comprise of East Freisian, Dorset Finn and various crosses. As such, Old Chatham constitutes the largest sheep dairy in the United States.

Both Tom and Nancy harbored a desire to make a blue sheep's milk cheese in the style of Roquefort, but were aware that in order to prevent cross contamination of the molds, they would require a separate facility.

Finally, Tom and Nancy decided to construct a purpose built cheese room on their own land specifically for the purpose of producing their first blue sheep's milk cheese, Ewe's Blue.
Ewe's Blue is a pasteurized cheese and is a staple of the Old Chatham repertoire. However, to expand the range further, it was finally decided to produce a raw sheep's milk version which is called Shaker Blue.

According to Tom Clark, Old Chatham's Shaker Blue is even closer to the Roquefort-style blue he and his wife envisioned.

The texture of Shaker Blue is is semifirm, moist and creamy, and the flavors are full and lingering. You can taste the richness of the sheep's milk, a pleasing acidity and a sweetness in the finish.