Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery is based in the Heart of Wisconsin's Dairyland, just 60 miles from the Twin Cities in the town of Ellsworth. They're known as the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin, a designation given in 1984 by then-Governor Anthony S. Earl. If you've ever enjoyed a deep-fried cheese curd at the Minnesota State Fair, then you're familiar with the delicious taste of their signature product.

The cooperative is more than 250 dairy farm families strong. However, these families are more than the producers of their milk – they're also the owners of their organization. Located in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, and all within a 60-mile radius of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery's production facilities, it's these real farm families that have produced their products' main ingredient for more than 100 years. Keeping it small and local is just one reason for the Cooperative's success in producing products known for freshness and quality.

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery has come a long way since their early days. Originally named the Ellsworth Butter and Cheese Company, the organization incorporated in 1910 with their primary product being butter. They didn't actually begin making cheese curds until 1968, but the popularity of these squeaky bites was almost instantaneous. Production in Ellsworth soon transitioned over to all cheese curds and the rest, as they say, is history.

Well, not quite... In 2011, a new chapter was written in the Cooperative's history book when Comstock Creamery in Comstock, Wisconsin, joined the Ellsworth Creamery family. For cheese lovers, this was a marriage made in heaven. The acquisition brought with it expanded cheesemaking capabilities and together the two plants produced 50 varieties of specialty and artisanal cheeses.

Operating around the clock, milk is delivered from farms daily, resulting in freshness you can taste. The Ellsworth facility continues to specialize solely in the production of their world-famous All Natural White Cheddar Cheese Curds. Farmer-certified rBST-free milk is used to produce about 160,000 pounds of 100% All Natural Premium Cheddar Cheese Curds each day! At the same time, the Comstock plant perfected their small-batch production, eventually earning a reputation for crafting many award-winning varieties. In 2022, cheese production operations transitioned from their aging Comstock plant to a new state-of-the-art facility in Menomonie, Wisconsin, to carry on their champion cheese handiwork.

Thankfully, Kowalski's customers don't need to make the trip out of town to have fresh-from-the-farm flavor in their refrigerator. There's no need to look any further than our dairy case for the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery and Blaser's labels.

Find the cooperative's famous cheese curds in a variety of flavors, plus their premium block cheeses, in the Dairy Department of your nearest Kowalski's location. Selection and availability vary by market.