THE COOPERATIVE DIFFERENCE:
A legacy built on family
Founded in 1896, Burnett Dairy Cooperative has been built by generations of farm families uniquely dedicated to making exceptional cheese. Today, we are owned by nearly 70 dairy farm families from Wisconsin and Minnesota, whose farm-fresh milk is the source for our wide variety of premier products.
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The best milk makes the best cheese
As a cooperative, we are your one-source cheese provider so you can have ultimate confidence in the wholesomeness and consistency of our offerings. We believe that quality milk makes for quality cheese, so we invest significant resources to keep our cows healthy and thriving. Our farmers work closely with our entire team, including our:
• Agronomists
• Feed quality specialists
• Animal nutritionists
• Large animal veterinarian
And we manage the entire production process in great detail, to ensure the superior results you demand – from soil and feed quality to cow health, milk purity and cheese quality.
Respect for people, animals and the planet
In our cooperative, every farmer is family. We believe in sharing our success and treating everyone with respect – from our farm workers to our food scientists and the people who produce and package our cheeses. We also take great care in managing the health of our cows, ensuring they receive quality feeds and humane treatment throughout their lives.
Finally, we believe in doing right by our planet, so we are committed to responsible farming practices that minimize our impact on the environment around us.
120+ years of cheesemaking expertise
Our roots reach back to 1896, with the start of the Wood River Creamery and Branstad Creamery, both in Burnett county in northwest Wisconsin. In fact, our now-famous Fancy® cheese brand started with Wood River Creamery! In the 1960s, the two creameries merged and, later, closed. In their place, the Burnett Dairy Cooperative was formed to focus solely on the craft of cheesemaking.
Today, in addition to creating award-winning cheeses, our 200+ employees provide the latest crop, feed, fuel and animal health services to our farmers.
Meet Master Cheesemaker® Bruce Willis
There’s one other ingredient that’s key to our success: our Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® Bruce Willis. Bruce earned this distinction from the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is truly a master in crafting Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack and Mozzarella, combining art and cheese science by blending just the right cultures and enzymes to get our award-winning results.