Dreamfarm, LLC
Cross Plains, Wisconsin | 84 miles
Hidden in the verdant hills of Cross Plains, WI is a 25- acre gem known as Dreamfarm. This family farm is home to farmstead cheesemaker Diana Murphy, her husband, 28 lively goats, a flock of ducks and geese, two cows, three dogs, and two cats named Spinach and Tomato. Two of their daughters, Alicia and Clarissa, also come home to help with milking, cheesemaking, packaging, and delivery. It is here at their picturesque family farm that Diana has been perfecting the art of cheesemaking for nearly 20 years.
Farmstead refers to cheese that is made entirely from the farm. For Diana, the influence she has at every stage of production is important, from choosing the food her animals eat to monitoring the way each batch of cheese is made. Dreamfarm is small scaled. They’re so small-scaled that most of the processes are still done by hand including stirring a 100-gallon vat of milk and carefully folding herbs and flavorings into each batch of soft cheese. This small-scale farm-to-cheese way of life brings all the things Diana loves full circle, from being outdoors surrounded by animals to working with her family to create a product that consumers love.
The Beginning
Diana has always been interested in agriculture and started her career working for a Madison area CSA. It was here that Diana had the opportunity and market to start producing and selling her cheese. At that time, she offered an egg and cheese share add-on to established CSA customers. The Dreamfarm milking facility was licensed by the state in 2003. The following year Diana became a certified cheesemaker and the creamery, (known as the “cheeserie” on Dreamfarm) was licensed as well. This is when on-farm cheese production began. Diana had good help along the way, and she attributes the quality and craft of her cheese in part to a mentorship with Wisconsin’s legendary goat cheese maker Anne Topham of Phantom Goat Farm.
Making the Cheese
The process of making soft goat cheese is relatively short. From milking the goats to packaging the cheese takes three days. Dreamfarm’s 28- goat herd is milked two times a day from mid-April through November, with the cheeserie typically in production from May until December. At the start of production, fresh milk from the milkhouse is transported across the driveway to the cheeserie where it is pasteurized in a 100-gallon vat that holds 860 lbs. of milk. After pasteurization, starter culture and rennet are added to the milk, then the mixture is left to sit overnight. The following day, Diana and her crew line baskets with cheesecloth which they use to separate the curd from the whey. The cheese is then divided into big bowls to craft a variety of flavors. Some batches are blended with savory herbs while others take on the sweeter notes of honey and apricot. The cheese is then carefully packaged and ready to ship for consumers to enjoy! Diana’s delicious variety of soft goat cheese is newly available at VFC. Dreamfarm also makes small-batch mozzarella and queso fresco from cow’s milk plus, a specialty aged cheese called Table Bluff which is made from a blend of cow and goat milk.
“It is an honor to make food for people, especially when it is something they enjoy.”