12 Excellent Small Town Cheese Shops That Will Scream Wisconsin

 

No other place validates Wisconsin as the leading dairy state more than small-town cheese shops. Many of the European immigrants who flooded Wisconsin in the 1800s brought their old-world style of cheesemaking with them. Look no further than these small-town cheese shops to find traditional methods passed down from generations for a delicious adventure. For this reason we wanted to share these 12 Excellent Small Town Cheese Shops That Will Scream Wisconsin.

Why Wisconsin Cheese Taste So Good

 

Not too long ago Wisconsin had over 1,200 cheese shops. Small family-owned factories dotted the landscape in each community. Each one sold their cheese to locals from a small no-frills shop adjoining the cheese factory. Today, only a fraction of these still exist. But you’ll find a real treat when you visit because original family members still own and operate many of these.   

 

Wisconsin cheesemakers take enormous amounts of pride in their cheesemaking heritage. Many family cheese factories have been passed down from several generations before them. It’s in their blood to produce high-quality cheeses just like the generations before them.

 

Along with a robust cheesemaking heritage, Wisconsin keeps its cheesemaking standards tops in the world by requiring a state license to make cheese. Actually, Wisconsin is the only state that does this.  

 

Furthermore, a cheesemaker can become a certified master cheesemaker by completing a stringent three-year program. Wisconsin is the only place, other than Europe, where you can obtain a master cheesemaker certification. In other words, the equivalent of a cheese Ph. D.  

 

As you can see, there’s a reason 90% of milk produced on Wisconsin dairy farms goes into making 600 varieties of cheese.

 

Look at it this way. If Wisconsin became its own country then it would rank 4th in the world for cheese production. Just behind the entire U.S., Germany, and France. Yes, Wisconsin contains huge dairy plants making products like milk, butter, whey protein, and cheese. In order to truly capture the heartbeat of the state, you need to visit small town cheese shops and take a closer look.

 

12 Excellent Small Town Cheese Shops That Will Scream Wisconsin

Start with these small-town cheese shops and then have fun adding more to your list.

1. Nasonville Dairy

2. Union Star Cheese Factory 

3. Weyauwega Star Dairy

4. Hook’s Cheese

5. Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company

6. Benoit Cheese Haus

7. Widmer’s Cheese Cellars 

8. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery

9. Eau Galle Cheese Factory

10. Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin

11. Lynn Dairy

12. Carr Valley Cheese

 

1. Nasonville Dairy

We’ll start with one of our favorite small town cheese shops. For us, taking a day trip towards central Wisconsin from Eau Claire usually goes through Nasonville because they have some of the best cheese curds you will find. Nasonville Dairy is a nice rural drive through farmlands and just a few minutes southwest of Marshfield.

 

How To See Eau Claire, Wisconsin In An Epic Way

 

Mainly we visit to buy fresh cheese curds. Fresh as in just made in front of you and still warm.

 

Tip: Get there before 9 am to get the freshest. 

 

If you haven’t tried fresh cheese curds then there’s something you should know. Fresh cheese curds squeak when you bite into them. The fresher they are the more squeak they will have. In fact, they lose a little squeak each hour as they get older. Fresh cheese curds will typically squeak for up to twelve hours.  

 

Tip: If your cheese curds lose their squeak then put them in the microwave for a few seconds. By doing this you can restore a little bit of squeak.

 

Read our article about Nasonville Dairy. Hurry To The Award-Winning Nasonville Dairy Cheese Shop

 

4 Master Cheesemakers Means Plenty Of Mouth Watering Cheeses

 

We emphasize that Nasonville Dairy isn’t just about cheese curds. With four Master Cheesemakers on staff, you will find plenty of fresh, yummy top-quality cheese. Some of our favorites include muenster, brick, asiago, baby swiss, Monterey jack, sharp cheddar, farmers, gouda, and mozzarella. Many hot pepper flavored varieties are some of their most popular sellers too.

 

Their small, narrow cheese shop is part of the factory and has windows looking inside. It reminds us of an old-fashioned Wisconsin cheese factory and what its store looked like from the past.

 

Nasonville Dairy also has a second retail cheese shop on highway 29 in Curtis. You can buy freshly made cheese curds here too. Often, we get there early after they just finished making them in the back, then employees bag them at the counter.

 

2. Union Star Cheese Factory

 

Take a short drive west from Appleton to visit the picturesque Union Star Cheese Factory near the small town of Fremont. Union Star Cheese has been a family business for four generations. You want to arrive early for a terrific tour of the factory, except no tours given on Sunday.

 

Another bonus for arriving early would be getting fresh cheese curds between 9 am – 10 am.  

 

David Metzig (cheddar) along with his son Jon (cheddar and colby) are certified master cheesemakers. Cheeses made by Union Star include cheddar, colby, mozzarella, feta, St Jeanne, and many varieties of flavored muenster.

 

3. Weyauwega Star Dairy

Drive a few miles up the road from Union Star Cheese to the small town of Weyauwega to visit Weyauwega Star Dairy. The Knaus family is another fourth-generation cheese factory owner/operator. They specialize in handcrafted artisan Italian cheeses such as parmesan, asiago, and romano.  

 

Weyauwega Star Dairy produces a wide variety of cheeses but the world’s longest string cheese makes them stand out. They made Guinness World Records twice and their latest record-breaking string cheese from July 2021 is waiting to become certified as the official record-breaker again.  

 

This time they made a 3,832-foot string cheese. This nearly ¾ of a mile piece of cheese took 1700 residents standing seven feet apart to hold it up. That’s also the equivalent of 30,000 cheese sticks.   

 

4. Hook’s Cheese Company

We like to go on day trips from Madison and this usually includes a stop in Mineral Point. Artsy Mineral Point easily ranks as one of our favorite small towns and Hook’s Cheese Company makes it special.

 

In the World Cheese Championship, their colby was judged the finest cheese in the world against all the other classes. In fact, Julie Hook holds the title of the only woman in the world to win a world championship!  

 

Hook’s Cheese has won numerous national and international awards in several categories so you surely need to visit Mineral Point. You can even buy 15-year-old cheddar that has been cured in their nearby cave.

 

We like to get their cheese curds but they sell out fast. It’s important to realize you need to get there early for cheese curds. Sometimes we arrive at 9 am and they are already sold out.

 

Tip: You can buy extra cheese curds then put them in your freezer to keep them squeaky fresh.

 

Along with cow’s milk Hook’s Cheese uses sheep and goat milk for their artisan cheeses.  

 

5. Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company

A visit to the Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company makes a fun day trip to see one of Wisconsin’s most popular cheese stores. This cheese shop and plant lie north of Wisconsin Rapids in the small town of Rudolph. You’ll find over 200 different varieties of cheeses and watch employees package huge amounts of fresh cheese curds in front of your eyes.  

 

6. Benoit Cheese Haus

 

You’ll need to look for Benoit Cheese Haus because the small town of Benoit sits on county road F, not on a highway. Most people visit beautiful Ashland, on Lake Superior, first then visit Benoit Cheese Haus by taking Highway 2 west a few miles.  

 

You’ll find over 150 varieties of Wisconsin cheese ranging from traditional to unique flavors that will satisfy your taste. You can even find burn-a-hole-in-your-tongue hot pepper cheeses here.

 

7. Widmer’s Cheese Cellars 

 

While visiting the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge or Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area make a pit stop in the small town of Theresa at Widmer’s Cheese Cellar. Widmer’s makes award-winning hand-crafted cheese from the same techniques as traditional European and Wisconsin methods. Because of their long list of awards, you’ll regret not stopping. 

 

Master Cheesemaker Joe Widmer makes cheese at the same factory his family started almost 100 years ago. Joe’s certifications include brick, colby, and cheddar.

 

The best time to watch cheesemaking ranges from 7 am – 11:30 am Monday through Friday.

 

8. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery

Take a day trip to western Wisconsin to visit Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery in the small town of Ellsworth. In 1984 Ellsworth was named the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin by Governor Anthony S. Earl. 

 

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery is famous for its fried cheese curds. For example, the Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Alaska State Fairs serve millions of their deep-fried cheese curds each year. Even South Carolina has recently jumped on board too. 

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery owns three production facilities but the cheese shop is inside the Ellsworth facility. The Ellsworth location only produces cheese curds. While visiting you’ll see a constant flow of milk trucks lining up beside the store to unload their fresh milk. Mainly because this plant produces 180,000 pounds of cheese curds a day.

 

Their Comstock cheese factory makes over 80 varieties of artisan cheeses in small batches. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery has won awards for red rind muenster, brick, and hot pepper jack.

 

You’ll find a trip to their cheese store in Ellsworth rewarding for fresh cheese curds and plenty of cheeses, meats, and wine to choose from.

 

Look for their award-winning specialty brands in retail shops under the names of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Blazers, Antonella, and Ellsworth Valley.

 

9. Eau Galle Cheese Factory

 

Would you stop to buy cheese that has scored over 99% out of 100% in the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest? Of course! 

 

Outside of the small town of Durand go to the Eau Galle Cheese Factory where they specialize in Italian-style cheeses. Take a short 30-minute drive from Eau Claire to Durand for a visit you won’t forget.  

 

Notably, Eau Galle Cheese Factory produces over 9 million pounds of award-winning parmesan, asiago, and romano each year. Mostly for the foodservice industry and brand names like Sargento.  

 

Add this family-owned cheese shop to your list too. Leo Buhlman learned the cheesemaking trade from his home in Switzerland before he immigrated to the United States. Now, his son, John Buhlman, along with master cheesemaker Steve Bechel, craft some of the most award-winning parmesan, asiago, and romano in the nation.

 

10. Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin

 

Take a day trip to the rolling hills in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region for beautiful scenery and cheese. Award-winning Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin has called Darlington home since 1899. 

 

They use old-world recipes in their small batches of artisan cheese. Hand-made cheese using traditional methods composes the heart and soul of Brunkow Cheese. Although aged cheddars and flavored jacks are most likely what you’ll go for, check out their best of class baked cheese with garlic called Brun-uusto.

 

With more than 50 varieties and numerous awards won for their artisanal and specialty cheeses, take a day trip to Brunkow Cheese for a delightful experience. Or, look for their label as Fayette Creamery.

 

11. Lynn Dairy

 

On our day trips to central Wisconsin, Lynn Dairy appears east of Neillsville on Highway 10. As the cheese factory comes into sight, you’ll see a small store entrance in the front. Look in the small cooler for terrific deals on different flavors of cheese ends. In effect, cheese ends are the uneven end pieces from blocks of cheese that have been cut off to form an even block. 

 

Tip: Try the pepperoni cheese ends melted on a loaf of garlic bread. 

 

David Lindgren holds certifications as a master cheesemaker in cheddar, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, and provolone

 

12. Carr Valley Cheese

 

Sid Cook from Carr Valley Cheese could possibly be the most eccentric certified master cheesemaker on the list. This fourth-generation visionary cheesemaker has been advancing the frontiers of caseiculture with creative new flavors unheard of before.

 

To begin with, Sid earned his cheesemaking license at 16. Cheesemaking came naturally to him since he learned from his family. Nothing fancy here, just an artist having fun creating innovative flavors that blaze the cheese trail using cow, sheep, and goat milk.

 

His masterful techniques reflect in his specialty flavors since he still crafts artisan cheeses by hand using the same old-fashioned techniques as generations before him.

 

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Final Thoughts

In the big picture Wisconsin is known as the dairy state and for its large production of cheese. Visit these small-town cheese shops with their elite cheesemakers to get a personal taste of what Wisconsin’s cheese culture is all about.  

 

Wisconsin cheese tastes so good because they keep high standards in order to produce some of the best cheeses in the world. Even though tasting these cheeses makes your tongue happy, look closely at the cheesemakers passion and pride. Many will agree that they get the greatest satisfaction from people that love their cheese. You can buy bland cheese anywhere but you need to experience cheese from these small town Wisconsin cheese shops. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Thanks for reading 12 Excellent Small Town Cheese Shops That Will Scream Wisconsin.

Tom and Kristi

 

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