Hill Valley Dairy was founded by Ron and Josie Henningfeld in 2017 as a small operation, making cheese one day a week at a creamery where Ron used to work. Within just a few short years, though, Hill Valley Dairy cheeses have won the praise of cheese aficionados, the hearts of local customers, and multiple awards at the World Championship Cheese Contest.
Like all Wisconsin cheesemakers, Hill Valley Dairy knows that the highest quality cheeses start with extraordinary milk. That's why Ron Henningfeld gets all his milk from one well-known source: the 240-acre farm where he grew up and where his brother Frank now manages a herd of 65 cows. Hill Valley Dairy uses 20% of the farm's weekly output to make 500 pounds of cheese each Monday – including cheddars, goudas, cheese curds, and two specialty award-winning cheeses: Alina and Luna.
As a first-generation cheesemaker making cheese one day a week, Ron Henningfeld is part of a long tradition of makers who have been inspired by curiosity and a passion for exploring new horizons of cheese flavor while also perfecting classic cheeses from around the world. That's why, in addition to cheeses from Hill Valley Dairy, our supermarkets are full of cheeses like Ewe Calf to be Kidding, the first triple-milk blue made in the U.S., and Gran Canaria a triple-milk cheese in the Greek farmstead tradition. We're also home to varieties like classic emmentaler made in copper vats by Edelweiss cheese, and Chipotle Cheddar from Hennings Cheese, a white cheddar blended with roasted jalapenos that's been a winner on the national and international stage.
Ron Henningfeld wants his cheese to be an everyday staple in his customer's homes, rather than a “once-in-a-while” cheese bought on special occasions. From squeaky cheese curds to whiskey gouda, Hill Valley Dairy's cheeses are meant to be flavorful and fun, which is how varieties like bacon cheddar and garlic dill cheese curds came to be.
Ron knows he can only make good cheese from good milk, and that good milk only comes from taking good care of the animals and the land. He's also committed to taking care of the family and his community. In part, that's why Ron and Josie opened a retail space and a “cheese bar” where friends and cheese lovers can gather to sample great cheeses and enjoy a drink, a class, or a tasting.
As a small and self-run business, Hill Valley Dairy has the time and space to constantly research and develop new cheeses. Ron's creativity in cheesemaking is driven by his conversations with friends and customers who constantly suggest new types of cheeses they'd love to try. The idea for Whiskey Gouda, for example, came from a customer who requested a one-time production for a special event. Customer demand for the cheese was so great that the gouda became a staple of the Hill Valley Dairy product line.
Each Monday morning, Ron starts with 500 gallons of fresh milk that he warms before adding cultures that have been painstakingly chosen to meet the ideal flavor profiles for each cheese. After culturing the milk for an hour, Ron adds rennet to coagulate it, changing the liquid to a semi-solid state. He then cuts the curd into quarter-inch cubes with a cheese harp – a metal frame strung with wires – which causes the curd to release moisture or whey. After stirring the curd and expelling more whey, Ron salts the cheese and presses it into block forms for cheddar, wheels for gouda, or bags it up for cheese curds.
Hill Valley Dairy cheeses are fun and flavorful varieties that shine when they're set out on a grazing board, paired with wine and beer or baked into cheesy appetizers and entrées.
Luna is the result of Ron's fascination with what the moon would taste like if it were actually made out of cheese. Luna is a cave-aged blend of gouda and Alpine cheese that is everything Ron imagined the taste of the moon would be – salty yet sweet, kind of nutty and tangy, with overtly earthy tones. Luna cheese pairs well with big earthy reds like a malbec or cabernet sauvignon. On the cheese board, Luna shines when surrounded with dried cherries, cranberries, raspberry jam, and chocolate-covered coffee beans. In the kitchen, Luna makes for a flavorful fondue or a scrumptious grilled cheese sandwich.
Alina is a cave-aged, natural rind Alpine cheese with a light “oaky” flavor that also hints at sea salt and grass that brought it a fourth place win at the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest. Pair it with a ginger beer or an amaretto coffee for a daytime snack or for evening, try it alongside an umeshu or a pilsner. Food pairings for a cheese board or grazing table include adobo seasoning, black truffle almonds, amaretti cookies, orange marmalade, and red rice crackers.
Hill Valley Dairy produces cheddars with a profile that features solid cheddar flavor up front, backed up by unique milky flavors. Customers can choose from mild, medium, and sharp cheddar varieties as well as black pepper cheddar, bacon cheddar, whiskey cheddar, tomato basil cheddar, habanero cheddar, and garlic dill cheddar. Their younger cheddars pair beautifully with a frosty pint of pale lager, IPA, or pilsner, or with chardonnay, pinot gris, rosé, or merlot. With older, sharper varieties, wines with bigger profiles are in order – a riesling, pinot noir, champagne, or chianti. For beer, mature varieties with a touch of sweetness work best – saison ale, cider, bock, and Belgian ale. Milder cheddars are great for everything from nachos to grilled cheese sandwiches, while older cheddars are best enjoyed with a little something sweet like homemade jam, chutney, or honey.
Hill Valley Dairy's gouda is a creamy, tangy, nutty variety that's also available in a whiskey-soaked version. Pair it with beverages that complement the nutty, slightly sweet flavor – bock, brown ale, farmhouse hard cider, gewürztraminer, müller-thurgau, riesling, champagne, or cava. In the kitchen, melt it into casseroles, pasta, and gratins, or serve it on sandwiches, cheeseboards, or as a snack.
Cheese curds from Hill Valley Dairy include cheddar cheese curds, garlic dill cheese curds, and cajun sheets curds, and are best tossed back with a light pilsner, pale ale, or lager. Squeak on, friends.
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