Agropur’s Master Cheesemakers bring passion, artistic skill to their craft

Creating the world’s finest cheeses requires more than know-how. The ingredients include creative vision and a heaping helping of passion for the craft.

It’s more than making a product. It’s creating a piece of art.

“There’s something about using your hands to create,” said Tom Blauert, who serves as Cheese Technical Manager at Agropur’s Little Chute, WI plant. “Some do it with wood and some do it with metal. Cheesemaking just made sense to me and I’ve taken incredible enjoyment out of making this product.”

Blauert is one of four on the Agropur team to have earned the prestigious Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® title.  It’s a certification that recognizes the state’s very best, and cheesemakers need to demonstrate they’re worthy. The program provides mentorship and a rigorous course of study.

Agropur relies on the knowledge and passion of our Master Cheesemakers to guide our processes, which result in consistent, high-quality, award-winning cheese.

“It’s a marriage of science and art,” said Agropur’s Roger Krohn, a Master and third-generation cheesemaker. “The science starts with really good, high-quality milk and it involves the ingredient choices that you make. But there’s such as vast array of choices, and that’s where the art of it comes in.”

Krohn, cheese technical manager at Agropur’s Luxemburg, WI facility, said mechanization has taken some of the heavy lifting out of the process, but it hasn’t impacted the imaginative component.

“Computers can only do what you tell them to do,” he said.

Wisconsin is the only place outside of Europe to offer such a certification. Upon graduation, participants are granted the ability to use the Master’s Mark, a logo that provides customers with assurance they’re about to savor the finest Wisconsin has to offer.

Experience is the first prerequisite. Eligibility for the Master Cheesemaker program is limited to those who are currently working in a Wisconsin plant and have held a Wisconsin cheesemaker’s license for at least 10 years. It’s a three-year program, and over that time, participants must regularly submit samples of their cheeses for grading.

Pat Doell, a Master Cheesemaker and production supervisor at Agropur’s Luxemburg, WI, facility, said the program provided him with a deeper understanding of the fine points of the craft. The fourth-generation cheesemaker – and Krohn’s nephew -- derives pride from carrying on his family’s legacy and satisfaction from knowing his customers are getting a superior product.

He said the expertise of the teaching staff, depth of material and hands-on guidance brought his skills to a new level. The challenge added to the pride of being recognized as a Master.

“You definitely have to be committed,” Doell said.  “You can’t take it lightly.”

The program was created in partnership by the Center for Dairy Research, UW-Extension and the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin describes the program as “basically a Ph.D. in cheese.” After certification, the program requires graduates to continue their education to retain the Master’s Mark. Masters take further courses and submit samples to demonstrate they continue to meet the high quality it represents.

“It was a great experience and I learned a lot,” said Agropur Master Dan Stearns.  “It was an in-depth experience and I was able to get a better understanding of the dos and don’ts and whys and why nots.”

Stearns, the Cheese Technical Manager at Agropur’s Weyauwega, WI, facility, said the certification is more than a title.

“As a master cheesemaker, you develop relationships throughout the industry,” Stearns said. “We’re fellow cheesemakers, but we’re also really good friends. It’s a really big family.”

Agropur’s masters say only the finest lines separate good cheeses from exceptional examples.  Excelling at cheesemaking goes far beyond following recipes: It takes trial, error, curiosity and mentorship.

They say a keen sense of taste is crucial to discerning those ever-slight differences.

Blauert, for example, isn’t a coffee drinker. Yet he’ll have a cup or two every year to sharpen his reception of bitter flavors.

Agropur’s masters say the honor also carries responsibility.

Blauert, a 40-year veteran of the craft, said one of his late-career goals is to pass on as much of his knowledge as he can to the generation of cheesemakers behind him. Decades of work haven’t dulled his passion.

The same holds true for Krohn. He said his skills give him the opportunity to make a positive impact on the world.

“There’s not a lot that all humans have in common,” Krohn said, “but one thing we all have in common is the love of eating. When I go to a restaurant and I see families enjoying themselves, I like to think that I played a small part of that.”