The best cheese curd brands: notable Wisconsin producers

There is no objective "best cheese curd brand." There is a top tier of producers with verifiable credentials. This is who's in it and why.

How we're using the word "best"

Subjective rankings of food are mostly opinion. The internet is full of cheese curd "top 10" lists that don't disclose criteria and don't survive a closer look. We're trying something more honest:

Each producer below is included because they meet at least one of these objective markers:

• Multi-generation family operation with documented heritage
• Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certification (an official program requiring 10+ years of cheesemaking experience and rigorous examination)
• State or governmental recognition (gubernatorial proclamations, official designations)
• Significant award track record from competitions like the World Championship Cheese Contest, US Championship Cheese Contest, or American Cheese Society
• Scale and accessibility (ships nationally, supplies notable customers)
• Distinctive practices verifiable through their own documentation

The order below isn't a strict ranking. Each producer is a credible answer to "who makes great Wisconsin cheese curds?"

1. Gardner's Wisconsin Cheese

Marshfield, Wisconsin · Wood County · Fourth-generation cheesemaker

Gardner's Wisconsin Cheese is a fourth-generation Wisconsin family cheesemaker based in Marshfield, with operational roots tracing back through the Wolf Guernsey Dairy. The company specializes in direct-to-consumer fresh cheese curd shipping, with a focus on getting curds from the creamery to the customer within 2-3 days of production — among the fastest farm-to-door timelines for fresh curds in the state.

Standard cheddar, white cheddar, flavored curds (Garlic & Dill, Jalapeño, others rotating seasonally), and cheese-and-sausage gift packages are all available. Free cold-pack shipping kicks in on orders over $69, with delivery to all 50 states. Visit Gardner's Wisconsin Cheese →

2. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery

Ellsworth, Wisconsin · Pierce County · Cooperative since 1910

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery holds the official title of Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin, granted by Governor Anthony S. Earl in 1984. The creamery is owned by approximately 250 dairy farm families who supply its milk. It's been producing cheese since 1910 (originally as a butter cooperative; transitioned to cheese production later). At peak, the creamery produces ~160,000-180,000 pounds of cheese curds daily.

The annual Cheese Curd Festival in Ellsworth, held every summer, draws thousands. Ellsworth's curds are available at the on-site retail store, at farmers markets across the Upper Midwest, and via the cooperative's direct-shipping program. Visit Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery →

3. Henning's Wisconsin Cheese

Kiel, Wisconsin · Calumet County · Founded 1914 by Otto and Norma Henning

Henning's is a fourth-generation family creamery known for cheddar craftsmanship, including their famous 12,000-pound cheddar wheels — among the largest commercially produced cheese wheels in the country. Master Cheesemaker Kerry Henning holds three Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certifications, which is unusually rare; most certified Master Cheesemakers hold one or two.

Henning's cheese curds are produced fresh daily and shipped nationally. The creamery also operates a public viewing area where visitors can watch the cheesemaking process. Visit Henning's Wisconsin Cheese →

4. LaGrander's Hillside Dairy

Stanley, Wisconsin · Clark County · Three-generation family creamery

LaGrander's Hillside Dairy is the exclusive cheese curd supplier to Culver's, the Wisconsin-founded fast-food chain that operates approximately 1,000 restaurants across 26 US states. Every cheese curd served at every Culver's nationwide comes from LaGrander's.

Master Cheesemaker Ryan LaGrander holds a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certification specifically in cheese curds — a relatively new and rare category for the certification. His father, also a Master Cheesemaker, is certified in cheddar. The dairy sources milk from local farms in the Stanley area. Some retail sales available through specialty channels. Visit LaGrander's Hillside Dairy →

5. Cedar Grove Cheese

Plain, Wisconsin · Sauk County · Sustainability pioneer

Cedar Grove Cheese is run by Bob Wills, who holds both a PhD and a JD — an unusually credentialed cheesemaker by any measure. The creamery has operated since 1878 and was a sustainability pioneer well before that was a trend: in 1999, Cedar Grove installed an on-site Living Machine wastewater treatment system, using plant biology to clean its production water.

Cedar Grove also operates the Clock Shadow Creamery in Milwaukee's Walker's Point neighborhood, an urban cheesemaking demonstration facility where visitors can watch curds being made. Cedar Grove produces both conventional and organic cheese curds and ships nationally. Visit Cedar Grove Cheese →

6. Saxon Creamery

Cleveland, Wisconsin · Manitowoc County · Klessig family farm since 1848

Saxon Creamery's distinguishing characteristic is single-source milk: every drop of milk used in their cheese comes from family farms within a 3-mile radius of the creamery. The Klessig family has farmed the same Cleveland, Wisconsin land since 1848 — that's over 175 years of continuous family agriculture on the same site.

In 2018, Saxon was certified by Mosaic Meadows as a regenerative dairy operation. Their cheese curds emphasize the terroir of a tight geographic source — flavor traceable to specific cows on specific pastures. Ships nationally. Visit Saxon Creamery →

7. Carr Valley Cheese

La Valle, Wisconsin · Sauk County · Cook family since 1883

Carr Valley Cheese has accumulated more than 720 awards across competitions including the World Championship Cheese Contest, US Championship Cheese Contest, and American Cheese Society Conference. The current operation traces back to Ed Leply's founding in 1883; the Cook family has been involved in the operation across multiple generations.

Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook is one of the most decorated cheesemakers in Wisconsin history. Carr Valley operates 7+ verified retail locations across Wisconsin, allowing direct purchase across the state, and ships nationally. The portfolio extends far beyond cheese curds — sheep milk cheeses, aged cheddars, mixed-milk artisan styles — but the basic Wisconsin cheddar cheese curd remains a core product. Visit Carr Valley Cheese →

What's NOT on this list (and why)

A few notable absences:

National grocery brands: Tillamook (Oregon), BelGioioso, Sargento, and others produce widely-distributed cheese curds. We've focused on Wisconsin cheese curd brands because the heritage, scale, and shipping access make for cleaner editorial criteria. National grocery brands are often perfectly good but less editorially distinct.

Small artisan creameries we haven't profiled yet: Wisconsin has dozens of additional cheese curd makers producing excellent cheese curds — Renard's, Springside, Burnett Dairy, Decatur Dairy, and many more. We're adding profiles steadily; the recommended cheese curds is the live reference.

Subjective "top 10" rankings: We don't do them. Taste is personal, freshness depends on how the curd was handled between creamery and customer, and the variance between two Wisconsin cheese curd brands is much smaller than the variance between a fresh curd and a 3-week-old curd from the same producer.

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