Beecher's Handmade Cheese

There is good reason that the name Sid Cook is synonymous with Carr Valley Cheese. He is a fourth-generation cheesemaker and his family has owned Carr Valley for over a century. Sid got his cheesemaking license when he was all of 16 years old and he holds the distinction of Master Cheesemaker along with a group of fewer than 20 cheesemakers in the state of Wisconsin. Sid describes his relationship with cheese as a kid perfectly when he said, “You opened up the door on the side of the kitchen and there was the vat.” The first cheese plant that his father operated was in a valley called Carr Valley, the name Sid still uses today. Sid worked with his father for years before taking over the business in the mid 70’s. He and his brother made Wisconsin-style cheddar in that plant for 10 years. Eventually in 1991, he purchased another cheesemaking facility with a layout that would allow for more flexibility and the development of more styles of cheese. Carr Valley produces more than 65 varieties of cheese today. They use milk from all three major ruminants (cow, sheep, and goat) and all milk is supplied from family farms within a radius of less than 50 miles of each cheese plant. None of the cow dairies that sell milk to Carr Valley are milking more than 70 cows.

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