September 11, 2026
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Photo courtesy of Carr Valley Cheese

EARLY YEARS — Sid Cook in 1986 purchased Carr Valley Cheese, a business that had operated in La Valle, Wisconsin, since the early 1900s. Under Cook, the business went from primarily producing 23-pound Cheddar daisy wheels to crafting more than 100 varieties of specialty cheese and butter, winning national and international awards.

Photo courtesy of Carr Valley Cheese

TEAM LEADERS — Carr Valley Cheese today employs about 150 people across its multiple factories, distribution center and retail stores across Wisconsin. Pictured above, from left, are: Brandon Holloway, plant manager, La Valle; Bob Koenig, Master Cheesemaker, operations manager; Sid Cook, Master Cheesemaker, chairman of the board; Justin Snyder, plant manager, Mauston; and Mark Andrus, plant manager, Fennimore.

By Rena Archwamety

LA VALLE, Wis. — Carr Valley Cheese, known for its many varieties of award-winning cow, sheep, goat and mixed-milk cheeses, this month is celebrating 40 years under the leadership of Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook.

Cook purchased Carr Valley Cheese in La Valle, Wisconsin, on Sept. 1, 1986. Over the next several decades, he expanded its production from making primarily 23-pound Cheddar daisy wheels to making more than 100 varieties, from aged Cheddars to creamy Blues to specialty butters.

“Instead of one product or one cheese, what we’re known for is innovation,” Cook says.

“We’re always innovating, and we have some things on the drawing board. There’s a new one we plan on doing next week or the week after — it should be an amazing product,” he adds.

As they celebrate their 40-year milestone this month, the cheesemaking legacy of Cook and Carr Valley Cheese started long before 1986. A fourth-generation cheesemaker, Cook grew up in his parents’ Irish Valley Cheese factory, which made raw milk cheeses with milk in cans until the late 1960s. The cheese vats were on the other side of the family’s kitchen door.

Cook earned his cheesemaking license at age 16 and eventually took over the family business with his brother in 1976.

In 1986, Cook purchased Carr Valley Cheese — a company that had been in the community since 1902 — from Don, Jim and LaVerne Mueller.

“When I bought the factory from the Mueller Brothers, they wanted to retire and had considered closing the factory so they could,” Cook recalls. “They were so happy to find a young man to work with and so proud of their accomplishments.”

Over the years, Carr Valley Cheese has evolved from a small local operation to a nationally-recognized company with multiple production facilities and retail locations throughout Southwestern Wisconsin.

After purchasing Carr Valley Cheese, Cook continued making the Cheddar daisies and added other cheeses such as Monterey Jack, Colby and Pepper Jack that could be sold at the adjoining store. He expanded in the early ’90s with the purchase of Carr Valley’s facility in Mauston, Wisconsin, which allowed the company to start making new cheeses such as Gouda and Fontina, as well as later adding sheep’s milk and goat’s milk cheeses. In 2011, Carr Valley purchased the former Glacier Point plant in Linden, Wisconsin, which allowed Cook to focus more on Blue cheeses. In the early 2000s, Carr Valley started cutting and wrapping its own cheese and was the first company in the United States to buy an ultrasonic wheel cutter.

In addition to its four factories and distribution center, Carr Valley also operates retail stores across Wisconsin in La Valle, Fennimore, Mauston, Mazomanie, Sauk City and the Wisconsin Dells.

“We are able to sell more products directly to consumers, and that really has helped us as far as knowing what consumers are looking for,” Cook says.

• Innovative styles

Cook began making more artisan-style cheeses around 1998-1999, adding varieties like sheep’s milk Marisa, Mobay with a layer of ash in between sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses, and Cardona, a goat’s milk cheese. He also started smoking cheeses with different types of wood.

“We really kind of led the way with sheep milk cheese and mixed-milk cheeses, starting 27 or 28 years ago,” Cook says.

He was inspired to expand in this direction after taking a number of courses at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and collaborating with faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I would see how they’re making cheese and different types of products, and it gave good, innovative ideas on what I could do that is different,” he says. “Growing up, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, Muenster, Swiss and Brick were pretty much the cheeses.”

Cook enjoys the process of choosing different cultures and milks or combination of milks, and working with vat-salted, dry-salted or brine-salted styles.

“There’s an open, clean slate where you can do all these things,” he says. “You can think of a flavor profile and work toward that. You can throw something together and see how it turns out, or actually plan what you’re going to make and do things that way.”

Today, the company’s portfolio includes original cheeses like Cocoa Cardona, Marisa and Mobay; various bandage-wrapped, smoked and flavored Cheddars; multiple flavors of bread cheese; varieties of Blue cheeses; and specialty butters, all made with different types of milk.

The company has earned recognition at national and international competitions while continuing to make cheese using traditional methods alongside innovative approaches to flavor, aging and cheesemaking. Carr Valley Cheese has won more than 1,000 awards for its cheeses over the past 26 years, and more awards than any other company in North America, Cook says.

In 2004, Carr Valley’s Gran Canaria, a sheep’s, goat’s and cow’s milk cheese aged at least two years, won Best of Show at the prestigious American Cheese Society Judging & Competition. At the International Cheese and Dairy Awards held in England earlier this summer, Carr Valley won six gold medals, four silvers and six bronzes. Every year, Carr Valley continues to add to its awards case across a wide range of cheeses and butters in contests at home and abroad.

• Gaining, sharing expertise

Cook’s influence extends beyond Carr Valley Cheese. As a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker with certifications in multiple varieties of cheeses, he has dedicated his career to advancing the craft and preserving the knowledge and traditions that distinguish Wisconsin cheesemaking. His work also has helped inspire the next generation of cheesemakers and reinforce Wisconsin’s reputation as America’s Dairyland and a world-class cheese-producing region.

Last year, Cook was recognized by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) as a Cheese Industry Champion, an award that is given to industry leaders who, through their everyday business decisions, have created tremendous opportunity for others. WCMA noted that in his 60th year as a Wisconsin cheesemaker, Cook inspires the next generation of plant leaders and cheesemakers to follow his creative model of developing unique cheese styles. WCMA added that Cook continues to show a national generation of current and upcoming cheesemakers the meaning of creativity by blending old-world craftsmanship with innovative techniques.

Today, Carr Valley uses the tagline “Taste Our Story” to capture the connection between the cheese and the people and traditions behind it. The company employs about 150 people, with about 80 to 90 working full time, along with many part-time employees across its retail stores.

Carr Valley Cheese will mark its 40th year under Cook’s leadership with celebrations highlighting its history, cheesemaking traditions, employees, products and the people who have helped make the company what it is today.

“We’re planning on having a conference and trying to do something special for our employees, to thank them for helping to build our business,” Cook says. It’s not about me — it’s really about the people who have come along the way.”

As it continues its award-winning tradition and innovations in cheesemaking, Carr Valley also is looking toward the future and improving its processes. The company recently added a new brining system and packaging equipment at its Mauston plant and reworked its whey and cream separation at its La Valle facility. It has completed significant work in Fennimore with cutting and packaging equipment, and added new equipment at its Blue cheese plant in Linden. Additionally, Carr Valley is working on improvements inside its Portage facility and is anticipating another big project coming up over the next couple of years.

“Business has changed completely over the last 40 years, and I assume it will change more in the next 40 years as we progress,” Cook says. “It’s the cheese business. It never stops, and we keep at it.”

CMN