Local Cheesemakers

Capri Cheese, Blue River, WI

Felix Thalhammer, 608.604.2640
Handcrafted artisan aged goat cheeses made in small batches the old-fashioned way at a small cheese factory in the heart of Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Some of the cheeses are cave-aged to enhance taste, flavor and appearance, and some cheeses are raw milk aged cheeses.

Hidden Springs Creamery of Westby, WI

"Driftless Cheese" Sheep's milk cheese, Brenda Jensen, 608-634-2521
Hidden Springs Farm is a sustainable sheep dairy in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin. Farming here combines the best of old-fashioned, all-natural farmstead with just enough clean modern equipment and science to keep the quality at its peak.

Hidden Springs Creamery makes a fresh, soft, rich, creamy (almost dreamy) sheep milk cheese named "Driftless," for the unglaciated part of Wisconsin. This cheese won first place in its category at the 2007 American Cheese Society Judging in Vermont. They also make Driftless with fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and with honey and lavender. Nothing is added to this delicious cheese except fresh sheep's milk, culture, rennet and salt.

Mount Sterling Creamery of Mt. Sterling, WI

Goat's milk cheese, Al O'Brien, plant mgr. Located in the small burg of Mt. Sterling, Wisconsin, (population 217) The Mt. Sterling Cheese Co-op manufactures its award-winning cheeses in one of the loveliest settings in the nation. We have put this small town on the map by proving that combining American family-scale farms with Wisconsin's heritage for truly exceptional handcrafted cheese can successfully compete in international competition. We have defeated some of the most renowned European cheese makers, winning awards from the American Cheese Society, the World Championship of Cheese, the Wisconsin State Fair and the American Dairy Goat Products Association.

Our small cheese factory is the last working cheese plant in Crawford County. Come and see cheese being made the old fashioned way through our viewing window. Call us for cheese making times and store hours at 1-608-734-3151

Carr Valley Cheese, La Valle, WI

(608)986-2781 One of America's finest specialty cheese plants. From traditional classics like expertly aged Cheddar to award-winning American Originals like Cocoa Cardona and Gran Canaria, our skilled cheesemakers turn milk delivered fresh from local dairy farms into more than 50 delicious cheese varieties.
Our family's passion for cheesemaking excellence runs deep. Today, fourth-generation owner Sid Cook is one of a small handful of certified Master Cheesemakers in the United States. It's a distinction awarded only to veteran Wisconsin craftsmen who complete a rigorous 15-year advanced training and education program.

In the past three years alone, Carr Valley cheeses have won more than 60 top awards in U.S. and international competitions. Many of these have been won by Sid's one-of-a-kind American Originals - artisan cheeses you won't find made anywhere else in the world. In addition to cow's milk cheeses, we also produce goat's milk cheeses, sheep's milk cheeses, and combination milk cheeses. We have cheese for every taste.