Kerry Henning is a quintessential Wisconsin cheesemaker: He's a third-generation craftsman, an affable guy with a warm smile and a passion for making cheese that's grown over a lifetime of study, experience and experimentation. He's been making cheese in the family business since he was "big enough to reach over the side of the vat" and today is one of the state's most skilled makers of classic Wisconsin Cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses.

 

A Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certified in each of those varieties, Kerry is also what you might call a really "big cheese." That's in part because he's made the traditional production of mammoth Cheddars—wheels weighing in at up to 12,000 pounds each—a Henning's specialty.

 

Getting into mammoths, Kerry says, was a gradual process accomplished over several years of product-line diversification. "At one time, the only product we made was 12-pound midgets for one large customer. We knew we needed to diversify and started making larger and larger Cheddars. Eventually, we were getting requests for wheels up to 300 pounds and we began to recognize mammoths as an interesting niche and a way to differentiate ourselves," he says. "Other factories in the area were automating and changing their production from traditional Cheddar to Mozzarella and Swiss-style cheeses, so we set out to buy up all of the mammoth equipment and business that we could get our hands on. It's become a nice specialty for us."

 

Henning's now supplies retail and deli customers around the country with mammoth wheels of Cheddar up to 12,000 pounds each. "We recently did two 12,000 pound wheels for a store in Texas. They wanted 'Texas-sized' cheese and did a great promotion with it," Kerry says. "All of our mammoths go directly to retailers, who use them for in-store promotions. It's a great way to add some excitement in the deli area. A piece of cheese that big draws a lot of attention."

 

Thriving in the shadow of Henning's mammoth Cheddars today is a wide variety of traditional handcrafted, award-winning specialty Cheddar, Jack and Colby cheeses.  The company won Best of Class for all three varieties in the 2001 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, Best of Class for Colby at the 2004 World Championship Cheese contest and a silver medal for Colby at the 2006 World Championship Cheese Contest.

 

"We do a bit of Mozzarella, as well, but mostly we can stay focused on these three varieties," Kerry says. "To me, it's more important to focus on what you're doing and do it very well than to try to make a lot of different cheeses. There's plenty of growth and room for innovation in these categories."

 

The biggest growth areas today, Kerry says, are flavored cheeses and aged Cheddars. "Demand for new flavored cheeses has been incredible," he says. "People continue to want new and different flavor experiences and that's been the biggest growth area for us. They range from standards like tomato-basil and horseradish, to newer products that pair fruits and cheese. We've recently introduced an apple-cinnamon Cheddar that's doing well, and we're about to release a blueberry Cheddar, as well."

 

Aged Cheddar is also hot, he says. "Demand for super-aged Cheddar has just exploded. We're working to increase our inventory in the aging coolers, and have started experimenting with natural cave aging, as well. The flavor of those cheeses is entirely different from Cheddar that's been wrapped in Cryovac or coated with wax. By letting the wheels naturally cure on shelves at a slightly warmer temperature, you get really mature, full-flavored Cheddar. It's fantastic."

 

Kerry notes that the trend toward longer aging and cave aging is, in some cases, bringing production styles full circle. "Cave aging and natural rinds are hot now, and what's funny is that that's just how many cheeses were traditionally cured here 50 years ago. We'd gotten away from it, but it's coming back full circle and we're relearning those traditional techniques. That's really neat to see."

 

For more information on Henning's Cheese, visit www.henningscheese.com.

 

Photo and profile courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board