MADISON, Wis., April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With its 2014
graduating class, the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® program
celebrates 20 years of providing the nation's only advanced
training course of its kind for veteran cheesemakers. This year's
class includes four new Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers and three
veteran Masters who repeated the program to earn certification in
additional cheese varieties.
The four new Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers are:
- Mike Brennenstuhl, Great
Lakes Cheese Seymour, Inc., Seymour,
Wis., certified for Blue and Gorgonzola
- Pat Doell, Agropur, inc.,
Luxemburg, certified for
Mozzarella and Provolone
- Brian Renard, Renard's
Rosewood Dairy/Renard's Cheese, Algoma,
Wis., certified for Cheddar and Colby
- Chris Renard, Renard's
Rosewood Dairy/Renard's Cheese, Algoma,
Wis., certified for Cheddar and Mozzarella
Returning graduates in the 2014 class are:
- Mark Gustafson, Sartori
Company, Plymouth, Wis., now
certified for Fontina and Romano, as well as Parmesan and
Asiago
- Paul Reigle, Maple Leaf
Cheese, Monroe, now certified for Cheddar in addition to Yogurt
Cheese and Monterey Jack
- Bruce Workman, Edelweiss
Creamery, Monticello, now
certified for Cheddar and Gouda in addition to Baby Swiss, Brick, Butterkase, Emmental,
Gruyere, Havarti, Muenster, Raclette and Specialty Swiss
(low-sodium, low-fat lacy Swiss).
The graduates will be honored and presented with Wisconsin
Master Cheesemaker medallions at a ceremony during the
International Cheese Technology Exposition in Milwaukee on April
24.
"We congratulate the 2014 graduates and are proud to celebrate
the 20th anniversary of this unique program. Those who
have earned the title of Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker have such a
dedication to their craft and pride in what they've achieved," says
James Robson, CEO of the Wisconsin
Milk Marketing Board (WMMB). "The impact of the program on them
personally, as well as on their companies and the Wisconsin cheese industry has been
immeasurable."
Established in 1994 through a joint partnership of the Wisconsin
Center for Dairy Research, UW-Extension and WMMB, the Wisconsin
Master Cheesemaker® program is the most formalized, advanced
training program in the nation. Patterned after European programs,
it is administered by the 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.
About WMMB: The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board is a
nonprofit organization of dairy producers that promotes the
consumption of milk, cheese and other dairy products made in
America's Dairyland.
Contact:
Jon Whitely
608-241-4141 x266
jwhitely@stephanbrady.com
SOURCE Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board