MONROE, Wis. – Some companies have one certified expert. Some have two. Then there’s a Monroe-based cheese company that has five of them.
Klondike Cheese Company, run by the Buholzer family, has been producing award-winning cheese at the same location since the late 1800s. In 1988, the family decided to take their cheese plant in a new direction by focusing on feta cheese production. Shortly thereafter, the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Program® was initiated, and Ron Buholzer encouraged his younger brother Steve to take part.
“I have been making cheese my whole life at the family business,” Steve said. “The educational opportunities at the Center for Dairy Research were a wonderful experience.”
Four of the five Masters, Ron, Dave, Steve and Adam, are all from the Buholzer family, and the fifth is Jim DeMeter who also comes from a long line of cheesemakers.
“People are taking notice of the fact that we have four masters in the family,” said Steve. “It is a great marketing tool.”
As the Buholzers celebrate all they have achieved, they can’t help but look back on where they started back with their grandfather.
“If he could see what we’ve become from the little plant it was, I think it would blow his mind,” said Ron.
Ron also says that his grandfather would be impressed that there are now five Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers as part of the Klondike team, but he recognizes they still need to focus.
“It’s really nice, but then there is extra pressure. With five of us, we better not make a mistake,” said Ron.
For more information on Klondike Cheese Company, go to www.klondikecheese.com.
The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board produces weekly television news stories called Wisconsin Dairy News, highlighting the people, products and places that make Wisconsin, America's Dairyland. These stories air throughout Wisconsin during local news broadcasts. Our Wisconsin Dairy News segments can be viewed on our website at www.dairydoingmore.org or can be downloaded from www.wisconsindairynews.com.
Source: The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board