Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Tour!
The title of this blog post should be called “I died and went to cheese makers heaven” - but that’s just how we feel about our amazing day in Ellsworth, Wisconsin. So lets bring you back to when the Ellsworth Public Library did an online auction and one of the items was “Cheese maker for a day” with Ellsworth Coop. And being a sucker for auctions (and good causes) we HAD to get it. And we did ;)
Fast-forward to Monday (3/1), the day came where we got to experience their operations in a full day of non-stop cheese! We started our day at 5:00am in the factory and got to meet countless people that make Ellsworth Coop the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin. And man… they do produce a lot of curds in one day!
To recap our day in a blog post is going to be tough, but a few highlights that stood out to us were:
Ellsworth Cooperative supports nearly 300 different farmers within the Minnesota & Wisconsin surrounding areas. They support small farmers all the way to large operations, even with their continued growth - they still are continuing to support Wisconsin and Minnesota farmers. So knowing that their cheese comes from our neighborhood makes us even more happy to support their operations!
We also learned about how much they utilize the milk coming in. Beyond making cheese, the excess milky/watery fluid that is a ‘discard’ for cheese-making is actually turned into two products - Whey and Water. Both of which don’t go to waste and make this operation one that has very very little waste. Even when we saw the cheese curd making process, there was tiny little crumbs that you wouldn’t be able to eat - but they utilized it for creating cheeses for things like salads or even brats (get those in their retail store - highly recommend!).
We also saw the whole packaging process and how the managers there truly care about their workers and are trying to make it more seamless and easy for everyone.
And let’s also not forget that they have SCIENTISTS on site who test everything daily. From testing for levels of different bacteria on the equipment, milk, or browning of their whey. It’s amazing that this is all performed in-house and truly shows that they care about the product they are giving to their customers.
But the weirdest part of our day was when we got to sample un-salted cheese curds…. Lots of dots there because man. I am unsure of how to even describe the taste - but it is one that I don’t recommend! And sampling some curds right from the assembly line (shhh!) was night and day difference.
We could write a lot more about our day, but honestly - it was jam packed and filled with so much info that even the above info is just a fraction of what we all learned. This opportunity was amazing and we felt so welcomed, being a small little charcuterie business from Duluth. After seeing the amount of product they ship out every single day made our operation look like peanuts! Truly was in awe. Take a look at some pictures from our day below. And of course, stop by their creamery in Ellsworth, WI or buy some cheese online!
Duluth Cider Pop-up - 3.5
We are onsite today at Duluth Cider from 2-5pm. We'll be armed with Small and Medium boxes to enjoy in the taproom or to take home for later.
Cheese Curds - $5
Dill Pickle Cheese Curds
Bourbon Bacon Chipotle Curds
Medium Box - $30 / Small Box - $20
4 cheeses, 1 meat, dried cherries, nuts, chocolates, pickles & olives and pretzel crackers on the side.
Mango Habanero Cheddar Gruyere | Burnett Dairy Cooperative | Grantsburg, WI
Bourbon Bacon Chipotle Curds | Ellsworth Cooperative | Ellsworth, WI
Smoked Swiss & Cheddar | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Sharp Cheddar | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI (only on Medium box)
Be sure to follow us on Facebook for the latest events and pop-ups!
Bent Paddle Pop-up 3.4
We’ve just come back from a cheese-filled week with some new cheeses for you to sample and enjoy some Midwest cheeses in the taproom.
Medium Box - $30
4 cheeses, 1 meat, dried cherries, nuts, chocolates, pickles & olives and pretzel crackers on the side.
Mango Habanero Cheddar Gruyere | Burnett Dairy Cooperative | Grantsburg, WI
Bourbon Bacon Chipotle Curds | Ellsworth Cooperative | Ellsworth, WI
Smoked Swiss & Cheddar | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Sharp Cheddar | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI
Small Box - $20
3 cheeses, 1 meat, dried cherries, nuts, chocolates, olives and crackers
Mango Habanero Cheddar Gruyere | Burnett Dairy Cooperative | Grantsburg, WI
Bourbon Bacon Chipotle Curds | Ellsworth Cooperative | Ellsworth, WI
Smoked Swiss & Cheddar | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Small Bag Cheese Curds - $5
Dill Pickle Curds | Ellsworth Cooperative | Ellsworth, WI
Want to see some more cheeses? Come see us at Duluth Cider on Saturday (3/5) from 2-5pm. Or find our enets online and on our facebook page.
Bent Paddle Pop-up 2.25
Back at Bent Paddle just in time for the weekend, since Friday is one of the best days of the week! Bring a friend and come enjoy some cold beers and some Midwest Cheeses.
Medium Box - $30
4 cheeses, 2 meats, dried cherries, nuts, chocolates and crackers
Onion & Chive Cheddar | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Sharp Cheddar | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI
Gouda | Marieke Gouda | Thorp, WI
Mozzarella Whips | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Small Box - $20
3 cheeses, 1 meat, dried cherries, nuts, chocolates and crackers
Onion & Chive Cheddar | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Sharp Cheddar | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI
Gouda | Marieke Gouda | Thorp, WI
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to find the latest and greatest cheeses we have in stock and fun new events coming up!
Earth Rider Pop-up 2.24
YAY! We’re back at The Cedar Lounge / Earth Rider Beer and we couldn’t be more excited! We have some special cheeses for you to sample and eat in the taproom (or bring home!).
Small Box - $30
Smoked Gouda | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI
Maple Bourbon Cheddar | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Special Reserve Cheddar | Kasemiester Cheese | Frankfort, SD
Mini Box - $10
Smoked Gouda | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI
Maple Bourbon Cheddar | Hennings Cheese | Kiel, WI
Black Truffle Gruyere | Wood River Creamery | Grantsburg, WI (small sampling!)
Thanks for stopping in tonight, we will be at Bent Paddle tomorrow (2/25).
Duluth Cider Pop Up
We are onsite today at Duluth Cider from 2-5pm. We'll be armed with Small and Medium boxes to enjoy onsite or to take home for later.
🧀Medium Box
Colby Bacon
Reserved Cheddar
Dill Pick Jack
Cheddar Cheese Curds
Also including Salami, Almonds, Pickles & Olives, Cherries, and Chocolate.
🧀Small Box
Medium Cheddar
Havarti Dill
Reserved Cheddar
Also including Salami, Almonds, Pickles & Olives, Cherries, and Chocolate.
Earth Rider Pop-up 2.17
For the first time ever we’re popping up at The Cedar Lounge / Earth Rider Beer and we couldn’t be more excited! We have some special cheeses for you to sample and eat in the taproom (or bring home!).
Medium Box - $30
Garlic & Herb Cheddar | Yellowstone Cheese | Cadott, WI
Medium Cheddar | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI
Smoked Provalone | Burnett Dairy | Grantsburg, WI
Small Box - $20
Garlic & Herb Cheddar | Yellowstone Cheese | Cadott, WI
Medium Cheddar | Gibbsville Cheese | Gibbsville, WI
AND! We’ll be back next week (2/24) in the taproom too. So if you loved the cheeses, be sure to stop by again next week. Cheers!