How to Buy Cheese in Wisconsin

Cheese is to Wisconsin as champagne is to France. Just as the soils of Champagne, France, are suited for growing grapes, the soils of the pastureland in Wisconsin, home of the Cheesehead, are suited to cows. The best way to buy cheese in Wisconsin is to tour cheese factories and watch the cheese making process, sampling as you go. Here are the important stops on a cheese tour of Wisconsin.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Begin with a tour of the Roth Käse factory in Monroe, Wisc., where specialty, award-winning cheese is made every day. Call [phone] to schedule a guided tour in the morning, then call Brinkow Cheese of Wisconsin in Darlington at [phone] for an afternoon tour. Be sure to sample the baked Finnish cheese "Juustoleipa." It's Brinkow's specialty.
2. Spend the night near Darlington, then travel north to LaValle, stopping at Carr Valley Cheese Company [phone]. Established in 1902, this factory boasts a cheddar specialty. Stay overnight near LaValle or head toward Grantsburg, stopping at the Wisconsin Dells along the way.
3. Visit the Burnett Dairy Cooperative, home of the World Champion 1988 String Cheese. Tour the factory where 70,000 pounds of cheese is produced each day. Be sure to call ahead and schedule an appointment, [phone], as tours at Burnett are by appointment only.
4. Head back east the following day and stop at the Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company, [phone]; then travel to Fremont, to the Union Star Corporation [phone]. Each of these factories was voted one of the best places to buy cheese by readers of the "Wisconsin Trails Magazine."
5. Swing by the Beechwood Cheese Company in Sheboygan [phone]. Established in 1894, this company produces over 50 different flavors of cheese.
6. Drive south along Lake Michigan and round out your cheese tour with a visit to the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha. Though not a "cheese factory," this gift shop/restaurant/bakery/cocktail lounge/cheese retailer is a must-see for any cheese connoisseur. Be sure to try the Danish Kringle and bratwurst, too.

Tips & Warnings

• Skipping the Burnett Dairy Cooperative in Grantsburg will cut almost 250 miles off your trip.