A look at Midwest cheesemakers making their mark.
Wisconsin has a long history of cheesemaking beginning in the early 1800s. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, most of the earliest commercial dairy operations in Wisconsin made cheese because it kept longer than milk or butter at a time when storage and transportation were limited.
It was the state’s immigrant population that brought their cheesemaking traditions to Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. Italians brought mozzarella, provolone and Gorgonzola.\ The French brought Camembert, brie and a variety of blue cheeses. The Germans brought Muenster and Limburger, and the English brought cheddar. Dutch immigrants brought Gouda and Edam. Wisconsin cheesemakers also developed original cheeses, like brick and colby.
Here, Cheese Connoisseur highlights some of Wisconsin’s most notable cheesemakers, including their history and what makes them unique.
ALPINAGE CHEESE
OAK CREEK, WI
Alpinage Cheese owner Orphee Paillotin moved to the U.S. from France in 2015, but his cheesemaking journey began after meeting his fiancé, Paula, the daughter of a dairy farmer and founder of Saxon Creamery.
“She encouraged me to become a cheesemaker and get my license,” he says.
Paillotin decided to focus on raclette, the only cheese Alpinage makes as of today.
“This is the cheese we focus on to start with, and we make it at our partner farm right here in Wisconsin,” notes Paillotin. “We first created it with raw milk, and switched last year to pasteurized milk.”
He then built a small dairy plant from scratch to control the cheese aging. The company now makes 20,000 pounds of cheese annually and works with four distributors that sell it nationally.
This summer, the company will be moving into a brand new, state-of-the-art 2,000-square-foot warehouse that has a processing and packaging room as well as two dedicated aging rooms — one for its raclette and the other for a new natural rind cheese.
CARR VALLEY CHEESE
LA VALLE, WI
Carr Valley Cheese is owned by Sid Cook, a fourth-generation master cheesemaker whose family started making cheese in the late 1800s. In 1945, his parents bought a plant near Plain called Irish Valley for $500; their house was attached.
“Sid literally grew up in the cheese plant,” says Elle Williams, director of sales and brand development. “He has memories riding his tricycle between vats and helping make cheese.”
Cook began making his own vats of cheese by age 12 and earned his cheesemaker license at 16.
Sid wanted to expand his offerings, so he decided to go on his own venture and purchase Carr Valley in 1986.
Carr Valley still has a network of local dairy farms that they purchase milk directly from, most for several generations. Cook expanded into mixed milk cheeses and unique recipes.
Today, Carr Valley has four plants and seven retail stores, with one central warehouse. Its cheese varieties include blue, cheddar and fontina, along with mixed milk cheeses.
CRAVE BROTHERS FARMSTEAD CHEESE
WATERLOO, WI
Crave Brothers was initially a dairy farm started in 1981 by brothers Charlie, George, Mark and Tom Crave. At that time, there were 80 cows for milk production. They have since grown.
“In 2001, my parents Debbie and George decided they wanted to add value to our milk and start making cheese,” says Roseanne Crave, sales and marketing manager. Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese was born.
Its flagship line is award-winning fresh mozzarella.
“At the time Crave Cheese began, there weren’t many producers for this type of cheese,” Crave says. “We worked with the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, WI. They tested our milk for protein and butter fat, concluding it was best for producing fresh mozzarella.”
From there, the company expanded its portfolio to include other Italian fresh cheeses in addition to part skim farmer’s rope string cheese, Oaxaca and mascarpone.
“Looking at our customer base, we’ve had many long-term customers and distributors,” Crave notes.
HENNING CHEESE
KIEL, WI
Henning Cheese has been in business since 1914 and is now co-owned and run by the fourth generation of Hennings; brothers Kerry and Kert Henning are majority owners.
“My dad had been in the cheese business for 54 years. My son Zachary and nephew Joshua are following in my footsteps,” says Kerry Henning, who has been a Master Cheesemaker since 1999.
One of the country’s last mammoth cheddar cheesemakers, Henning Cheese can produce cheeses from 150 up to 5,000 pounds.
“Grocery stores from around the country like to bring in the big wheels for special promotions and then cut and wrap for individuals,” Henning says.
The company makes cheddar the traditional, slow way, using great cultures. About 10 years ago, Henning Cheese began producing flavored cheddars. It now offers 30 different varieties.
HILL VALLEY DAIRY
MILWAUKEE, WI
Established in 2015, Hill Valley Dairy began by selling cheese curds and cheddar at farmers markets. Although still a small business, it now offers its cheese lines wholesale for retail and foodservice.
“My older brother and his wife own a dairy farm, and I started in the cheese business to stay connected to the farm and utilize good milk for making cheese to sell,” says Ron Henningfeld, owner and cheesemaker.
The company is known for Luna and Alina, its two natural rind Alpine cheeses that are both aged for 18 months.
“I also still produce cheese curds and cheddar for local markets and Gouda styles, as well,” says Henningfeld. “About 15 months ago, the cheese factory I worked with moved out of their factory, and we took over their 4,000-square-foot space.”
The company also operates a retail space with its cheese and other brands, as well as a cheese bar.
HOOK’S CHEESE CO.
MINERAL POINT, WI
Hook’s Cheese’s Tony Hook, who owns the company with his wife Julie and serves as president, started making cheese in 1970.
“We moved to Mineral Point and ran Buck Grove Co-op, then started Hook’s Cheese,” says Hook. ”I managed that for 11 years with Julie.”
At that time, in 1982, Julie entered the Cheese World Championships with Hook’s block colby, winning first place and best overall. This was significant, as she was the only woman cheesemaker to win this honor.
“In 1987, the co-op we managed was small and our pasteurizer needed upgrading, so we purchased a factory in Mineral Point,” says Hook. “The farmers closed the co-op and went into business with us.”
Due to the plant’s increased cold storage capacity, Hook’s began making more cheddars, aging cheeses five, seven, 10, 12 and 20 years.
In addition to growing its current lines, Hook’s has occasionally added to its lineup with lines like a truffle cheddar.
ROELLI CHEESE HAUS
SHULLSBURG, WI
Fourth generation Master Cheesemaker and owner of Roelli Cheese Haus Chris Roelli recalls that his great-grandfather was cheesemaker for Hicks, a small Wisconsin cheese plant co-op.
“This was pre-electricity and pre-cooling, so they put together co-ops to store milk,” says Roelli. “At that time, there were little cheese plants every 3 miles in the state.”
Roelli’s great-grandfather, who immigrated from Switzerland, was making multiple cheese varieties.
The Roelli family bought shares of the co-op and privatized it to create Roelli Inc. in 1972.
“What’s unique is my great-grandfather made multiple cheese varieties, and we’ve gone full circle back to that making small batches,” says Roelli. “When my dad and grandpa made cheese, we were a large commodity cheddar producer, and there wasn’t viable competition.”
Roelli Cheese Haus is known for its cheddar blue hybrids, including Dunbarton and Red Rock.
Roelli Cheese Haus makes between 180,000 and 200,000 pounds of cheese a year on average, and its varieties have won major awards.
WIDMER’S CHEESE CELLARS
THERESA, WI
John Widmer immigrated to Wisconsin from Switzerland in 1905 and became a cheesemaking apprentice before purchasing a cheese plant. He then taught his son to make brick cheese, and four generations later, the Widmer cheesemaking business is still thriving.
“I’m a fourth-generation cheesemaker, specializing in strong, washed rind cheese,” says Joey Widmer. “We still press our cheese during production using the same bricks that were used 100 years ago, and we’re the only ones who make it authentically.”
Widmer’s Cheese varieties include authentic cheddar and colby. Two years ago, the company started making award-winning Butterkäse, a full-cream buttery cheese.
“We started making Matterhorn Cheddar in 2019, which is an Alpine-style cheddar,” says Widmer. “In addition to trying to stick to the traditional methods of cheesemaking, we go through about 20,000 pounds of milk a day on average.”
Milk is procured from three small, local farms, all within 15 miles from Widmer’s plant.
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Wisconsin’s Heavy-Hitting Cheesemakers
BELGIOIOSO
Green Bay-based BelGioioso Cheese Inc.’s story began over a century ago when the great-grandfather of Errico Auricchio founded a cheese company. In 1979, Auricchio moved his family from Italy to Wisconsin to craft Italian cheeses.
Auricchio also brought over two Master Cheesemakers, Mauro and Gianni, who remain part of BelGioioso. They began producing provolone, Parmesan and Romano, eventually adding cheeses previously unknown in America, including mascarpone, creamy Gorgonzola, Italico and American Grana. Today, BelGioioso manufactures, ages, packages and ships over 30 varieties of specialty cheese with new cheeses continuously in development.
“Knowing the taste of good cheese and what the cheese needs, starting with fresh milk, simple recipes, time and temperature, are the art of cheesemaking,” says Sofia Auricchio Krans, the company’s fifth-generation cheesemaker.
BelGioioso procures fresh milk daily from dairy farms located within a 30-mile radius of the plants. The company continues to invest in its plants by upgrading, expanding, or building new.
LACLARE
LaClare Creamery in Malone, initially a hobby goat farm created in 1978, began cheesemaking in 2008 when Katie Fuhrmann, now also marketing director, rented space.
“In 2012, the site we’re on now was built,” says Alex Coenen, president. “We have the largest concentration of goats in our backyard to make our award-winning cheese.”
In 2019, LaClare Creamery started a plant expansion to grow its chevre capacity, since the cheese is 85% of its business; the remaining is hard cheese. It also recently expanded its cooler space.
Coenen says LaClare’s cheeses, including cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey jack and mixed milk Chandoka, are award winning and resonate with consumers.
“We have big windows and a visitor room that’s open to the public,” says Coenen.
“We have 12 different chevre flavors, with original; garlic and herb; honey and blueberry vanilla the most popular,” says Greg Hedrich, soft cheese plant manager.
