Master Cheese Makers
Burnett Dairy Cooperative is proud to have two master cheese makers, Steve Tollers and Bruce Willis.
Master Cheese Makers meet strict standards set down by Center of Dairy Research, where to enter the program each participant must have 10 years of cheese making experience and 5 years in the variety they wish to specialize in.
Once accepted into the program they must fulfill a requirement to further their knowledge in cheese making from Technology, Artisanship, Grading and Quality assurance. Further study is done in elective courses of applied dairy chemistry, business and marketing, whey processing, water and waste management, and pasteurization and process control. These courses are in addition to the apprenticeship they must complete. They truly earn the title of being a master.
To demonstrate that they are a master in the art of making a particular cheese variety, the cheesemaker apprentice is required to submit samples of cheese for evaluation which is conducted by a designated committee to ensure cheese quality and consistency. The apprenticeship assures that those receiving the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certification embody the skill and passion for cheesemaking that is Wisconsin's greatest heritage.
Wisconsin has the nation's first and only advanced training certification for cheesemakers. This carries forward the 160 years of traditions that were brought from Europe by the original pioneers.
