MONROE - When Cheese Days board member Diane Phillips contacted Gary and Corie Grossen to set up a time to meet with them in person but was quite vague about the reason why, the Grossens were puzzled.
When fellow board member Martha Bernet also showed up for the meeting, they were even more curious. When Bernet began the conversation with a reference to 2008 being a Cheese Days year, they were certain they were being recruited to help as volunteers.
In a way, they were right. The couple has been selected to promote the festival in the honored roles of 2008 Green County Cheese Days King and Queen.
The Grossens have a long history of dedication to the local cheese industry. Gary grew up in the house above the Prairie Hill Cheese Cooperative and lived there for 51 years. His father Howard began working there as the cheesemaker in 1949. Gary's mother, Delores, worked alongside him in the factory, and the entire family was involved in the cheesemaking business.
Gary recalls helping out with various tasks in the factory as soon as he was old enough, and at age 12 was driving the pickup truck to return empty milk cans to the cooperative's patron farmers. He and his sister wrapped and boxed the rindless blocks of Swiss before going to school. While classmates lifted weights to bulk up for high school sports, he lifted and washed the giant wheels of Swiss cheese.
When Gary married Corie Carlson in 1971, it took her a little while to get used to the everyday noises of the factory operating right below the house, including a rather sophisticated "intercom system."
Corie was a bit surprised the first time she heard someone pounding on the floor from below, but soon realized that if Howard was down in the factory and needed something, he would grab a pipe and pound on the ceiling. In addition to the occasional thump on the floor, the usual hum of the boiler and the clinking of the pipes were soon joined by the noise from the activities of their growing family, including three children - son Chad (Genea) and grandchildren Emma and Gabe; and son Brad (Kari) and grandchildren Mitchell and Bryce; and daughter Kelly and her husband Harlan.
One of Corie's first jobs other than helping in factory came about when cheese needed to be delivered and Howard happened to be gone for the day. She sat on a pillow to see over the steering wheel of the 5-speed truck.
When she got to Armor Cheese Company, she went inside to find someone to back the truck up to the dock. All was going smoothly on the trip back home until a bystander flagged her over just as smoke began to rise through the floorboards. The man who backed the truck up had set the emergency break. It was the first of many trips to follow, and she never made that mistake again.
Corie eventually took over all the bookwork and payroll, plus management of the cheese accounts.
In 1972, Gary went into partnership with his father, and eventually bought Howard out in 1990. The factory operated with the assistance of family and five main employees.
"We never called them 'hired men' because it was more of a family team," Gary said.
Gary's first award for cheesemaking was in 1975, when he received first place for Swiss with the Wisconsin Cheesemaker's Association. He has also received United States and World Championship awards on his cheese. Perhaps even more rewarding was receiving his certification as a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker in Brick and Muenster in 2002. He is obtaining further certification in Cheddar, and may go on to Gouda.
Although no longer operating Prairie Hill Cheese Plant, the Grossens remain involved in the cheese industry. Corie is employed at the Foreign Type Cheesemakers in Monroe, a member-owned laboratory dedicated to quality assurance in cheese testing. Gary is a cheesemaker at Babcock Hall Dairy, part of the UW-Madison Food Science Department. Gary works directly with students in the artisan program, who as part of their studies are required to put in 240 hours with a licensed cheesemaker.
In addition to serving as president of Foreign Type Cheesemakers for many years, and on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association and the Southwest Cheesemakers Association, Gary has also served as a volunteer firefighter and first responder in Juda since 1972, and as assistant chief since 1982.
He is a member of the Jefferson Township Planning Committee, a member of the local Moose Lodge, and a lifetime member of the FFA Alumni. Throughout the years, Corie has also been involved in the community, including 35 years as a HCE member of the Jefferson Homemakers club, and member of the local Moose lodge and VFW. In 1992, she was awarded an honorary degree from the Juda FFA Chapter, and was recognized by the Green County Ag Chest as the Outstanding Senior Woman in Agriculture in 2001.
When fellow board member Martha Bernet also showed up for the meeting, they were even more curious. When Bernet began the conversation with a reference to 2008 being a Cheese Days year, they were certain they were being recruited to help as volunteers.
In a way, they were right. The couple has been selected to promote the festival in the honored roles of 2008 Green County Cheese Days King and Queen.
The Grossens have a long history of dedication to the local cheese industry. Gary grew up in the house above the Prairie Hill Cheese Cooperative and lived there for 51 years. His father Howard began working there as the cheesemaker in 1949. Gary's mother, Delores, worked alongside him in the factory, and the entire family was involved in the cheesemaking business.
Gary recalls helping out with various tasks in the factory as soon as he was old enough, and at age 12 was driving the pickup truck to return empty milk cans to the cooperative's patron farmers. He and his sister wrapped and boxed the rindless blocks of Swiss before going to school. While classmates lifted weights to bulk up for high school sports, he lifted and washed the giant wheels of Swiss cheese.
When Gary married Corie Carlson in 1971, it took her a little while to get used to the everyday noises of the factory operating right below the house, including a rather sophisticated "intercom system."
Corie was a bit surprised the first time she heard someone pounding on the floor from below, but soon realized that if Howard was down in the factory and needed something, he would grab a pipe and pound on the ceiling. In addition to the occasional thump on the floor, the usual hum of the boiler and the clinking of the pipes were soon joined by the noise from the activities of their growing family, including three children - son Chad (Genea) and grandchildren Emma and Gabe; and son Brad (Kari) and grandchildren Mitchell and Bryce; and daughter Kelly and her husband Harlan.
One of Corie's first jobs other than helping in factory came about when cheese needed to be delivered and Howard happened to be gone for the day. She sat on a pillow to see over the steering wheel of the 5-speed truck.
When she got to Armor Cheese Company, she went inside to find someone to back the truck up to the dock. All was going smoothly on the trip back home until a bystander flagged her over just as smoke began to rise through the floorboards. The man who backed the truck up had set the emergency break. It was the first of many trips to follow, and she never made that mistake again.
Corie eventually took over all the bookwork and payroll, plus management of the cheese accounts.
In 1972, Gary went into partnership with his father, and eventually bought Howard out in 1990. The factory operated with the assistance of family and five main employees.
"We never called them 'hired men' because it was more of a family team," Gary said.
Gary's first award for cheesemaking was in 1975, when he received first place for Swiss with the Wisconsin Cheesemaker's Association. He has also received United States and World Championship awards on his cheese. Perhaps even more rewarding was receiving his certification as a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker in Brick and Muenster in 2002. He is obtaining further certification in Cheddar, and may go on to Gouda.
Although no longer operating Prairie Hill Cheese Plant, the Grossens remain involved in the cheese industry. Corie is employed at the Foreign Type Cheesemakers in Monroe, a member-owned laboratory dedicated to quality assurance in cheese testing. Gary is a cheesemaker at Babcock Hall Dairy, part of the UW-Madison Food Science Department. Gary works directly with students in the artisan program, who as part of their studies are required to put in 240 hours with a licensed cheesemaker.
In addition to serving as president of Foreign Type Cheesemakers for many years, and on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association and the Southwest Cheesemakers Association, Gary has also served as a volunteer firefighter and first responder in Juda since 1972, and as assistant chief since 1982.
He is a member of the Jefferson Township Planning Committee, a member of the local Moose Lodge, and a lifetime member of the FFA Alumni. Throughout the years, Corie has also been involved in the community, including 35 years as a HCE member of the Jefferson Homemakers club, and member of the local Moose lodge and VFW. In 1992, she was awarded an honorary degree from the Juda FFA Chapter, and was recognized by the Green County Ag Chest as the Outstanding Senior Woman in Agriculture in 2001.