— By Stacy Brooks —
Wisconsin’s nickname is “America’s Dairyland,” and it’s simple to see why on a highway journey throughout the state. As you make your method by way of, you’ll discover cows grazing subsequent to the freeway and deep-fried cheese curds on the menu at roadside diners. The state is dwelling to just about 1,200 licensed cheesemakers who produce greater than 600 totally different styles of cheese, starting from basic cheddar to distinctive specialty creations. In 2024, Wisconsin cheesemakers produced 3.58 billion kilos of cheese, or 25% of the cheese produced in the US.
Need to get in on a few of that tacky motion? These kid-friendly Wisconsin cheese factories (also referred to as creameries) supply a peek on the cheesemaking course of, photograph alternatives with big cows, and scrumptious dairy-based eats like recent cheese curds, grilled cheese sandwiches, and ice cream cones.
Marieke Gouda
Positioned simply off Freeway 29 in Thorp, Wisconsin (lower than an hour’s drive from Eau Claire), Marieke Gouda makes use of conventional Dutch cheesemaking strategies to craft a variety of gouda cheese, from gentle younger gouda to variations flavored with bacon, honey clover, jalapeño, and extra.
Marieke Gouda was based by and is overseen by cheesemaker Marieke Penterman, who grew up within the Netherlands and in 2024, grew to become the fourth girl in historical past to earn a Wisconsin Grasp Cheesemaker certification. Marieke Gouda is a farmstead cheesemaker, which means that the cheese and milk are produced on the similar location.
We began our go to with a cease by the barn, which is simply throughout the patio from the constructing housing the creamery, cheese retailer, and cafe (extra on these later). We missed out on seeing the cows being milked, however we have been in a position to see the milking parlor by way of viewing home windows and study extra about dairy farming due to academic shows that defined the method.
For a extra in-depth expertise (and assured cow viewing), visitors can be a part of a guided tour of the milking parlor and barn (provided June by way of August, Monday by way of Saturday, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.). Though we weren’t in a position to see actual cows, we have been in a position to snap a photograph with the enormous cow statue subsequent to the barn.
Marieke Gouda cow statue / Picture by Stacy Brooks
On the Marieke Gouda Retailer, we peeked by way of the home windows to look at cheesemakers in motion, monitoring the cheese vats within the adjoining creamery and rotating massive wheels of cheese within the getting older room. Informational indicators walked us by way of all the cheesemaking course of, from the pipeline system that transports the milk from the barn to molding the cheese curds into wheels. The shop is stocked with the complete lineup of Marieke Gouda cheeses, with sizes starting from manageable wedges to five-pound hunks.
We have been delighted to find a wide range of cheeses made by different Wisconsin producers together with cheddars, string cheese, and recent curds, together with a number of flavors of Marieke gouda out there to pattern. Regionally made cheese accompaniments like jams and crackers, sweet, and items rounded out the sizable choice of merchandise.
By this level, we have been prepared for lunch at Café Dutchess, Marieke Gouda’s full-service restaurant. The eating room has home windows with views of the getting older room — as we waited for our meals, we admired a whole bunch of huge wheels of cheese stacked on cabinets. Appropriately, Café Dutchess serves deep-fried curds, burgers, sandwiches (we beloved the gouda grilled cheese with fries), and salads that includes Marieke Gouda cheeses. On the children’ menu, there’s gouda grilled cheese in addition to gouda mac and cheese.
Scray Cheese
Cheesemaking at Scray Cheese / Picture courtesy of Uncover Inexperienced Bay
Though it’s solely a couple of 20 minute drive from Inexperienced Bay, Scray Cheese Manufacturing facility & Shoppe in De Pere, Wisconsin has a distant, rural really feel. Our drive took us down picturesque roads and ended on the small manufacturing unit that’s been churning out handmade cheese since 1924. The fourth technology, family-owned manufacturing unit has a store stocked with curds recent from the manufacturing line; our bag of curds was nonetheless heat, and there was a pleasant squeak as we bit into every curd. Recent curds are produced every single day besides Friday and Sunday.
The cheese store is situated in a brick constructing that used to accommodate the manufacturing unit’s head cheesemaker — earlier than trendy know-how like refrigeration, cheesemaking was a round the clock job. As we speak, the small store sells blocks of cheddar, gouda, and fontina (plus, in fact, recent curds), with a handful of cheeses out there to pattern.
Scray Cheese is particularly identified for his or her artistic flavors of cheddar. We beloved ogling the distinctive choices like French onion, guacamole, and taco. A number of the flavors are longstanding recipes, such because the Tuscan rosemary; others are experimental concepts pitched by the manufacturing unit’s workers, like strawberry tajin and occasional maple. We ended up bringing dwelling a tasty block of blueberry cheddar.
The store additionally has an ice cream counter serving onerous scooped ice cream and a choice of cheese-themed items, like t-shirts and magnets.
Scray Cheese exterior / Picture by Stacy Brooks
Ellsworth Creamery
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery’s Menomonie location is simply off of I-94, good to interrupt up our drive from Inexperienced Bay to our dwelling in Minnesota. A sequence of viewing home windows gave us a step-by-step, behind-the-scenes perspective on all the cheesemaking course of — from receiving the milk to reworking curds into blocks of cheese, with useful academic indicators.
The scale of the power was mind-boggling, particularly in comparison with smaller creameries like Marieke Gouda and Scray Cheese. To get a way of scale, it’s useful to needless to say Ellsworth sources milk from 200 household dairy farms.
Ellsworth Creamery / Picture by Stacy Brooks
After watching cheesemaking by way of the home windows, we perused the completed merchandise. The creamery’s expansive retailer is stocked with greater than 280 Wisconsin cheeses, together with recent Ellsworth cheese curds. The shop is thought for often providing brand-new tacky creations which might be being examined on clients, like Buffalo Wing Jack cheese. Different objects embrace locally-made snacks, fudge, and drinks.
Earlier than hitting the highway, we grabbed a chunk to eat on the meals counter. The menu options grilled cheese sandwiches made with curds or your selection of cheese, in your selection of bread. We went with the curd grilled cheese on marbled rye and beloved the oozy, barely chewy texture. Different choices embrace pizza, quesadillas, soup, and deep-fried curds. The tender serve and onerous scoop ice lotions are made with native milk, and you’ll create customized sundaes or shakes from a slew of enjoyable toppings and mix-ins.
Ellsworth Creamery cheese curd grilled cheese / Picture by Stacy Brooks
A Scrumptious Household Journey By Wisconsin
Our highway journey stops at creameries have been clearly scrumptious — we’re nonetheless pondering of these grilled cheeses, plus the recent curds, gouda, and blueberry cheddar we introduced dwelling as edible souvenirs. However this type of highway journey presents households much more. Stopping by Marieke Gouda, Scray Cheese, and Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery took us behind the scenes to look at how cheese is made. On the finish of all of it, you allow with deeper appreciation for the onerous work and technical ability that Wisconsin cheesemakers put into every block of cheddar and wheel of gouda.
—
Concerning the Writer: Stacy Brooks is a Minneapolis-based freelance journalist who has coated meals and journey for 10 years. Her writing has been revealed in over 35 native and nationwide shops together with Fodor’s, Wine Fanatic, Enterprise Insider, Thrillist, and the Minnesota Star Tribune. She blogs at tangledupinfood.com and is on Instagram @_tangledupinfood.Associated
