What did you do after that?
In 1978, I became a supervisor with a major dairy plant in Wisconsin. While there I earned my Wisconsin Cheese Graders License for American style cheeses. After two years of corporate production, I wanted to return to the small dairy atmosphere I had grown up with. So in 1982, I was hired by a small farmers' cooperative in Green County, Wisconsin and began focusing more on specialty cheeses. I wanted to use the highest quality milk from the family farms I had grown up next to and didn’t want to spare costs as far as the ingredients go. I wanted it to be about the cheese and the quality.
When did you get involved with the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program?
In 1997, I enrolled in the Master Cheesemaker Program offered by the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin. The program was very intense and required hours of studying and class attendance. The course was intended for a small percentage of Wisconsin Cheesemakers who are highly interested in quality and the production of only the best cheeses obtainable. When people realize the amount of dedication it takes to become a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker, they understand it reflects in the cheese. I am also currently the president of the Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute.
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