The Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® program, the nation’s only advanced training course of its kind for veteran cheesemakers, has graduated six new Master Cheesemakers. With the new graduates, Wisconsin now has 49 Masters actively working in the state, representing 30 companies and holding Masters’ certification for a combined total of 34 cheese varieties. In addition to the six new graduates, the 2010 class includes three previous Master Cheesemakers who graduated the program a second time with certification for additional cheese varieties.

 

The new Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers, who will be formally certified at a ceremony in April, 2010, are:

 

Wisconsin Masters who completed the program a second time with the 2010 class are Paul Reigle, Maple Leaf Cheese Cooperative, previously certified in Yogurt Cheese and now certified as well in Monterey Jack and Gouda; Bruce Willis, Burnett Dairy Cooperative, Grantsburg, previously certified in Cheddar and Colby and now certified as well in Mozzarella and Monterey Jack; and Ken Heiman, Nasonville Dairy, Marshfield, previously certified in Feta and now also certified in Monterey Jack.

 

“The fact that we have such a large group of cheesemakers who’ve worked so long and hard through this program to distinguish themselves as Masters of their craft really sets Wisconsin apart,” says James Robson, CEO at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), one of the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® program’s founding partners. “We have more Masters than most states have cheesemakers, and interest in the program just keeps growing. This year’s class is among the largest in its history and includes cheesemakers from companies large and small becoming Masters in cheese varieties that range from familiar favorites to ethnic specialties.”

 

The Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® program is the most formal, advanced training program in the country. Patterned after European standards, it is administered by the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research and funded by Wisconsin dairy producers, through WMMB. Applicants to the program must be active, licensed Wisconsin cheesemakers with at least 10 years of experience. Cheesemakers can earn certification in up to two cheese varieties each time they enroll in the three-year program and must have been making those varieties as a licensed cheesemaker for a minimum of five years prior to entering the program. Once certified, they’re entitled to use the distinctive Master’s Mark® on their product labels and in other marketing materials.