Bob Wills didn't even start thinking about crafting cheese until he married into a cheesemaking family at age 35. He's since spent 20 years working to put Cedar Grove Cheese in tiny Plain, Wis., on the map not only by producing top-quality cheeses, but also by partnering with other cheesemakers to serve as an "incubator" and by instituting innovative, environmentally business practices.

 

Indeed, Wills, who is certified as a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker for Cheddar and Butterkäse, is known for crafting all his cheese with an eye to sustainability.  In 2007, Cedar Grove Cheese, along with 13 dairy farms who supply milk to the plant, completed certification with the Midwest Food Alliance in Minneapolis to be the first food processor in the United States recognized for its commitment to "green" technology.  The certification builds on an earth-friendly and cost-effective method Wills implemented in 2000 to handle the plant's daily load of 7,000 gallons of waste water. Named the Living Machine™, it is an elaborate greenhouse system that mimics the water cleaning power of wetlands – only faster – using natural microbes and plants. At the end of the complex filtration system, clean water is returned to nearby Honey Creek.

 

"The natural process of treating our wastewater helps us remember that what goes down the drain matters," Wills says.

Wills says his dedication to finding innovative ways to ensure the plant operates in an environmentally friendly manner stems from his childhood. Growing up in Brookfield, Wis., his father, a newspaper man, took him each year on a summer trip to the Boundary Waters, a region of wilderness straddling the Canada–United States border just west of Lake Superior.

 

"I learned that it's all about the water – plain and simple," he says.  He continues to apply that childhood lesson in every aspect at Cedar Grove – from the way he chooses to treat his waste water, to the way he powers his plant. An affinage facility he built in 2007 uses energy from his nearby whey chilling unit.  Inside, he ages several varieties of cheeses he custom makes for area dairy farmer groups, all looking to add value to their milk through specialty cheese.

 

Cedar Grove's own cheeses are specialty and organic varieties, such as flavored Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Colby, Havarti and Butterkäse. A new line of Layer Cheeses, including Cumin & Cloves Dutch Style, captured a Best of Class award at the 2008 American Cheese Society Competition.  The cheese is striped with a layer of cumin and clove through the center of the wheel, surrounded by rich and nutty organic Cheddar. Rounding out the line is Wills' Cracked Fennel in Organic Cheddar, Fenugreek in Butterkaese, Rosemary in Organic Cheddar, and a new favorite: Naturally Smoked Cheddar with Smoked Salmon & Dill.

 

"We take pride in preserving old-world Wisconsin tradition and standards in our cheesemaking as well as being at the forefront in organic production, grass-based dairy promotion, water treatment and product innovation," Wills says.

 

For more information about Cedar Grove Cheese, visit http://www.cedargrovecheese.com/

 

Profile by Jeanne Carpenter. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.