F.C. cheese company closes down

FORT COLLINS – Bingham Hill Cheese Co., the artisan cheese maker that developed an international following, shut its doors on Thursday, succumbing to a convergence of financial wounds.

The decision put 20 employees out of work.

Owners Tom and Kristi Johnson cited a number of reasons for the decision, but nothing more significant than the loss of its largest customer in the middle of 2005. Last June, the specialty retailer Trader Joe’s Company Inc. stopped carrying Bingham Hill’s products, which had given the cheese maker sales outlets across the country.

“Attempts were made to replace the customer, but while several new accounts were…