PO Box 185, E5904 Mill Road
Plain, WI 53577
Nestled in the lush Wisconsin countryside you will find Cedar Grove Cheese, a small family-owned cheese company that has been making cheese for more than 125 years. Bob Wills and his family are passionate about and committed to making cheese. Turned by hand and made with love, their cheese will please your taste buds.
Innovation and commitment to public health and a safe environment led Cedar Grove to produce the first rBGH-free cheese in the U.S. back in 1993. For similar reasons, they produce a wide variety of organic (OCIA certified), GMO-free and grass-fed cheeses, and their milk comes from over 20 sustainable and organic dairy farms in southern Wisconsin. Cedar Grove Cheese produces a wide range of cheese including Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Havarti (which won bronze in the 2005 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest), Butterkase, Muenster, Farmers and Mozzarella. They also make traditional cheeses with such twists as Chipotle Cheddar.
In 1999 Cedar Grove Cheese installed the Living Machine, a wastewater treatment facility located in an onsite green house. Using microbes and tropical plants, the Living Machine is able to clean all the washwater from the cheese plant. The Living Machine treats about 7,000 gallons of washwater a day using natural and efficient processes, removing 99% of the biological oxygen demand, 98% of suspended solids, 93% of total nitrogen, and 57% of phosphorus. After processing, the water is pure, clean, and ready to be discharged into Honey Creek, which is part of the Wisconsin River Basin. The earth friendly Living Machine is the first of its kind in a cheese plant.
Why is using organic methods a priority for your family?
– Organic production protects the world my children will live in. It helps small farms and communities survive and supports the long-term health of the soil while avoiding potentially harmful additives. Organic farming is a commitment to restore and sustain ecological harmony.
What is your favorite part of being an organic food producer?
– Giving customers the products that they want rather than forcing them to take products made with only short-term cost goals.
What is your least favorite part?
– There are none!
Why should people buy organic products instead of other options?
– People should buy organic to support organic production methods and to avoid unnecessary hormones and antibiotics; organic product quality has to be better to support its relatively high cost. You can support sustainable agriculture and be good to yourself and the earth! Not to mention that organic farmers treat their animals ethically and the earth soundly.
Why is your farm special?
– Our products are made by hand and with love using special milk.
Where do you want your business to be in the next year? 5 years? 10 years?
– Profitable with less environmental impact.
Where can consumers get your products?
– You can purchase our products by mail ordervisit our website for more info–at our plant, or in retail stores. Come and visit us! We give tours six days a week where you can sample fresh cheese curds, see our cheese being made and check out the Living Machine.
For more information about Cedar Grove Cheese visit their website or call toll-free (800) 200-6020.