MONROE — A milestone has been reached for one of the region’s most iconic and award-winning cheesemakers: Klondike Cheese Co.
The homegrown company been creating some of the state’s tastiest cheeses, yogurts, and other dairy products for 100 years. And through its recent donation to the YMCA, the facility’s 1/10th mile, indoor running track will include a sign above noting that it was made possible by the ‘Klondike Cheese Company.’
Founded by the Buholzer family in 1925, cheesemaking has been a cherished tradition for the family since Ernest and Marie Buholzer made the journey to Green County from Switzerland in the late 1800s. The family once lived above its namesake factory.
But construction of a major cheese plant in Wisconsin soon followed, specializing in Swiss varieties, and it transformed over the century into a leading force in dairy innovation, routinely winning top industry awards.
Klondike is behind many specialty cheeses, which dominate today’s market. Those include the Odyssey Feta, Greek yogurt, dips, sour cream, and Labneh — not to mention the classic Buholzer Brothers Havarti, Muenster, Gouda, and Brick cheese varieties.
“Reaching 100 years is an incredible milestone for our family and our team,” Ron Buholzer, one of the family’s five Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers, said in a company promotion. “We’ve grown from a small local operation into nationally recognized brands, all while maintaining our commitment to time-honored cheesemaking traditions.
As for the company’s donation to the YMCA effort, the Buholzers say it was in keeping with their commitment to the broader health and well-being of the home they share with the residents of Green County.
In fact, the pledged commitment from Klondike, valued at $1 million, demonstrates the Buholzer family’s commitment to their employees and their community, company officials say.
“We can’t thank the Klondike Cheese Company and the Buholzer family enough for their generosity,” said Trent Henning, Executive Director of the YMCA, a statement. “They have always been great supporters of the YMCA, but this gift shows how committed they are to building a stronger community here in Monroe and Green County.”
Klondike’s growth here accelerated considerably with the company expanding production in 2018 and operating a highly automated production line at its plant west of Monroe. The robotic technology allowed Klondike to raise production despite an extremely tight labor supply in the region, company officials said. The new line tripled the output of brick, Muenster and Havarti cheeses, which were mainly sold under customer-brand labels. Klondike also maintains an automated production line for Feta.
