April 2011

Cheese of the Month

Mt Sterling Cooperative

Mt. Sterling Cooperative

Located in Mt. Sterling, Wisconsin (in the Driftless Region), Mt. Sterling Co-op Creamery is a member-owned and operated cheese cooperative. The co-op is run by a board of directors and over 40 member-producers that operate traditional family farms in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. Their goats are pastured in the spring, summer, and fall, and the milk is sampled and tested for taste and quality before being pumped into the truck at each farm.

Mt. Sterling has produced a number of award-winning goat cheeses and prides itself in producing both raw (though heat-treated*) and pasteurized goats milk cheeses that are 100% natural, using no additives or colorings. All members of the co-op are committed and bound by contract to the humane treatment of their animals and rejection of the use of growth hormones. Eastside has Raw Milk Cheddar, Feta, and Mozzarella.

The co-op creamery is open to tours and their facilities are handicap-accessible. Visit www.buygoatcheese.com for more details and contact information!

*Known as thermization, heat-treatment of raw milk is for sterilization; it is similar to pasteurization, but thermization uses lower temperatures. Because thermization is not considered pasteurization by the USDA, it must be aged for 60 days, as all true raw milk cheeses must be.