In 1942, Ernie Bahler moved his family from the Coldren Cheese Factory to the Decatur Swiss Cheese Company Co-op, which was built in 1941. Because the factory was larger, Ernie hired two men, and in the summer three hired men lived at the factory. They would make six or seven wheels of Swiss a day in summer, but only three a day during the winter months. He would drive to Monroe to sell the cheese, hauling 12 wheels at a time. Cheesemakers following Ernie were C.P. Alexander, Richard Wichser, John Frehner, Wilbur Klemm, Roy and Mike Stettler and currently Steve Stettler. Today, at the same location, Decatur Dairy has 30 employees and processes approximately 420,000 pounds of milk a day. The factory is farmer-owned with a membership of 78 patrons. Questions or comments may be directed to Mary Ann Hanna at 608-325-4324 or nhcchistory@yahoo.com.