State’s Top Ranking Dairy Products Receive Grand Champion Honors
MILWAUKEE -- From the winningest cheese and dairy state, Wisconsin, comes the battle royale: the 2023 Wisconsin State Fair where only one can be named Grand Master Cheesemaker. For the second year in a row, the title goes to Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese of Waterloo for their chocolate mascarpone made by Brian Crave.
Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, LLC, is run by four brothers and their families. They have a focus on renewable energy, use 100% green power and are proud to be a carbon-negative business. From the biodigester to water recovery and recycling, sustainability is top-of-mind at both the farm and cheese factory.
“Wisconsin truly is the best place in the world for dairy,” says Chad Vincent, CEO Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, “And the State Fair honors the finest amongst a state obsessed with making the world’s greatest cheese.”
More than 400 entries from cheesemakers and dairy companies across the state competed in over 50 classes including cheese, sour cream, butter, yogurt, milk and custard. The Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest Grand Champions also include:
- 2023 Grand Champion Butter – Royal Guernsey Creamery salted butter, made by Royal Guernsey Creamery of Columbus
- 2023 Grand Champion Yogurt – Yodelay Pineapple Swiss Yogurt, made by Yodelay Yogurt of Madison
- 2023 Grand Champion Sour Cream – Odyssey Sour Cream, made by Klondike Cheese Co of Monroe
- 2023 Grand Champion Milk – 2% Fluid White Milk made by Lamers Dairy of Appleton
- 2023 Grand Champion Custard -- Banana Cream made by The Creamy Pig of Grafton
Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland -- the state known for making the world’s best dairy products. The dairy industry means more to Wisconsin than the combined value of oranges to Florida and potatoes to Idaho. The state is home to one of only two Master Cheesemaker programs in the entire world and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to learn how Wisconsin leads worldwide dairy innovation and quality. To learn more about Wisconsin’s Grand Champion winners visit
www.wisconsincheese.com.
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About Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin: Funded by Wisconsin dairy farmers, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is a non-profit organization that focuses on marketing and promoting Wisconsin’s world-class dairy products. For more information, visit our website at WisconsinDairy.org.
About Wisconsin Cheese: The tradition of cheesemaking excellence began more than 150 years ago, before Wisconsin was recognized as a state. Wisconsin’s 1,200 cheesemakers, many of whom are third- and fourth generation, continue to pass on old-world traditions while adopting modern innovations in cheesemaking craftsmanship. For more information, visit WisconsinCheese.com or connect on Facebook.
Photo Caption: Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese awarded Grand Master Cheesemaker at the 2023 Wisconsin State Fair. Pictured from left: Sharlene Swedlund, 2023 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs; Emma Crave, Ann Rech Renforth and Beth Crave, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese; Don Meyer, Rock River Laboratory; Randy Romanski, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Scott Fleming, Rock River Laboratory; Ashley Hagenow, 2023 Alice in Dairyland.