Exceptional cheeses begin with exceptional milk. It’s at the heart and soul of the cheeses we know and love—decadent blues, bold
aged cheddars, sophisticated parmesans, refined
alpine styles and many more. In Wisconsin, our cheesemakers share a passion for procuring the finest milk in the country, much like winemakers are obsessed with selecting superior grapes. From cultivating close relationships with local dairy farmers to nurturing cows on lush, green pastures, our cheesemakers are true milk magicians. With a masterful wave of their cheesemaking wands, they craft this liquid gold into cheese masterpieces that ultimately reflect their origins in enhanced flavor profiles.
Love For the State of Cheese
Wisconsin is home to nearly a quarter of the nation’s dairy farms. Here, dairy farming is more than just a way of life. It’s a living tapestry woven from a labor of love—for the land, the cows, the family and feeding the world. Honoring our state’s dairy heritage is the common thread. This dedication is often passed down through generations, with 99% of Wisconsin’s dairy farms family-owned.
Cheesemakers like Master Cheesemaker Chris Roelli understand just how high-quality Wisconsin milk is. “I tell people regularly that my job as a Master Cheesemaker is simply not to mess up great milk,” Chris says. “I don’t want to do anything that’s going to harm it, just to treat it with respect and care.”
At Roelli Cheese Haus, Chris handcrafts artisanal cheeses like flagship Dunbarton Blue®, which has won multiple awards, including the Third Award at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest. “I set out to make an English farmhouse cheddar with blue veins and subtle blue cheese notes,” he explains. “That’s what we accomplished with Dunbarton.” He credits much of the success of his “transitional blue” and award-winning Red Rock and Little Mountain cheeses to the exceptional milk he sources. “So to have a partnership where I can communicate with the farmer about feed and care of the cows—everything on that end is very important to what I do—that’s our niche. I treat that as my ace in the hole.”
Making Her Mark
Cheesemaker Anna Landmark, owner of Landmark Creamery, has Wisconsin’s dairy farming culture in her DNA. As a child, Anna remembers going to her grandparents' dairy farm, where cheese was always on the table. “It inspired me to be a cheesemaker,” she recalls. “My grandfather, as well as his father and grandparents, had been a dairy farmer his whole life. I spent much time on the farm when I was little.”
One of Anna’s signature creations, Tallgrass Reserve, is a golden, cave-aged cheese made from pasture-grazed milk using traditional cheesemaking techniques. It’s a pure expression of southeastern Wisconsin's terroir, showcasing the distinctive character of the local milk she sources from small dairies. The cheese features an earthy natural rind, creamy texture, buttery and dynamic flavors, ranging from bright notes of fresh grass in spring to rich, buttery hay notes in the fall.
“We are a small company, so we only make cheese in small batches,” shares Anna. “To stand out, we wanted to use really special milk—something that would make our cheese shine. It’s always a beautiful color and unique from batch to batch, as we use milk from a particular day, during a particular season, and from a specific farm.”
While those differences may be subtle, cheese connoisseurs celebrate them, especially in a sought-after specialty like Tallgrass Reserve. “I love the mix of the science and artistry behind cheesemaking,” says Anna. “I like guiding the milk through all the steps.”
Proud to Be Pasture-Grazed
The owner of Uplands Cheese Company, Master Cheesemaker Andy Hatch, takes matters into his own hands. He is known for handcrafting the most awarded cheese in America, Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Andy uses the milk from his own closed herd of cows, which are rotationally grazed.
Pleasant Ridge Reserve is an aged alpine-style cheese crafted only in the summer months when Andy’s cows graze on hilly acres of nutrient-rich, fresh pasture abundant with wildflowers, herbs and grasses atop Pleasant Ridge in the Driftless region of southwest Wisconsin.
The cheese expresses the milk’s flavors—sweet and complex notes born from the grass-fed raw milk combined with savory flavors developed by the cheese’s natural, washed rind. The complexity—rich and salty, with a long, fruity finish—has made Pleasant Ridge Reserve as unique as the land on which the cows graze.
“In mid-summer, a batch may yield up to 78 10-pound wheels a day,” shares Andy. “Because we’re very particular about using milk from only the best pasture conditions, the weather largely determines how many batches we can make in a year. When the pasture conditions aren’t ideal, we sell the milk. Some years, we’re able to make more cheese than others. This may seem like a luxury, but using only the ideal milk is the most important way we ensure the quality of our cheese.”
Experience the Magic of the Milk
Savor these tasty cheese masterpieces in the mouthwatering recipes that follow.
Make it: Mini Éclairs with Dunbarton Blue® Sweet Cream
Make it: Tangy Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms
Make it: Lemon Butter Cod with Alpine Veggies
