Wensleydale cheese is made from cow's milk. It is produced in a village in the county of North Yorkshire in England. It is usually shaped into a flat disc known as a truckle. The history of the cheese began in Wensleydale in 1150 when monks started making cheese. This became a farmhouse industry until the first commercial cheese was made in Hawes in 1897. Cheese making continued until May 1992 when the cheese factory closed. Six months later a group of local businessmen, ex-factory workers and cheesemakers, were able to reopen the business and promote Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese. This business has become very successful making specialty cheese and now employs more than 200 people.