The humble beginnings of Little Brown Cow Cheese: a twelve-year-old boy biking to his big brother’s farm every day, imagining one day he’d have a farm of his own. Don worked for little pay but didn’t mind because he loved the busyness, camaraderie, and most of all, the cows. What started as a bike ride daydream slowly grew into a small dairy farm in Hingham, WI. Don and Lynn Wilterdink have raised eight kids on the farm, all of whom helped as they were growing up. The youngest, age 13, works on the farm everyday, and although the other seven children are adults with full time jobs, they still lend a hand when the hay needs baling, the cows need milking, or the cheese needs labeling.
The family farm began 35 years ago, but the cheese side of it started just a few years ago; this time as a tractor ride daydream. Don knew his cows produced creamy, quality milk, so why not turn that into a creamy, delicious cheese to share with others? He teamed up with a local cheese factory to make his dream come true. Thus began Little Brown Cow Cheese, named for the beloved little brown Jersey cows responsible for the mild, medium, and aged cheddar cheese sold at Willy Street Co-op.
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