Correction: An earlier version of this story indicated that Haystack purchased the new facility. It is actually leasing the property.

More cheese, please.

That’s the message Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy got from its customers, and it’s the driving force behind the opening of a second creamery that will double capacity over the next five years.

But the Longmont company doesn’t want to be thought of as the Big Cheese of Boulder County.

“We’re still local,” said marketing director John Scaggs. “We still make in a year what the big cheese companies do in a day.”

Still, there’s no denying that Haystack is growing. Scaggs said it was “busting at the seams” in its 5,000-square-foot Colorado Avenue digs, necessitating the lease of 505 Weaver Park Road, which last saw use as overflow storage for Boulder developer Stephen Tebo’s car collection.

Production started in the 8,000-square-foot facility just after the new year, and this Friday will be the unofficial opening to the public when Haystack hosts its first First Friday tour and tasting.

Sharing the space is cheesemaking school The Art of Cheese, run by Kate Johnson. Scaggs said the dream is to turn the spot into a hub of all things cheese — raising the profile of Colorado fromage in the process.

They are well on their way. Last year, Haystack won three awards from the American Cheese Society, splitting the Colorado nods evenly with Basalt-based Avalanche Cheese Company. Scaggs will co-chair next year’s awards, being held for the first time in Denver, which for the past six years has been home to the Cheese Society.

Colorado is ground zero for goat cheeses, said Katie McMurray, cheese and charcuterie specialist for Denver-based distributor Italco Food Products.

That’s because most of the state’s milk goes to the world’s largest mozzarella maker — Leprino, also headquartered in Denver.

“That’s why you see more in artisan and farmstead goat milk here,” McMurray explained. But, she noted, diversifying with cow’s milk is a smart move as restaurants and retailers have increased demand for local cheese over the past five years.

Even Haystack — whose mascot is a goat — is getting in on the action. The 28-year-old creamery is adding aged cheddar and curds to its product line. The move helps stabilize revenue during the winter season when goats aren’t producing much milk.

It’s also a response to demand. Whole Foods specifically requested cheddar curds for its Rocky Mountain stores, Scaggs said, which will help fill space left by the removal of Haystack’s goat cheese from Whole Foods shelves in April.

The retailer made the decision after facing pressure from customers uncomfortable with the fact that federal prisoners in Canon City care for and milk Haystack’s goat herd. Whole Foods also stopped carrying tilapia raised by Colorado inmates.

Scaggs said Haystack is looking to deepen relationships with restaurants, breweries and even other cheese makers — anyone who can help spread the word about Rocky Mountain cheese.

“It used to be cool how far away (the cheese) came from,” he said. “Now it’s cool how local it is.”

Shay Castle: 303-473-1626, castles@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/shayshinecastle