Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA farmer-owned Wisconsin dairy cooperative known for cheese curds, milk processing, and whey drying.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative headquartered in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, a community widely associated with the state’s cheese-curd tradition. The cooperative produces and markets cheese curds and other dairy products, operates milk-processing and whey-drying facilities, and maintains retail locations in Ellsworth and Menomonie. Its products are distributed throughout the United States, with Ellsworth cheese curds particularly visible in grocery chains across the Upper Midwest. The organization traces its roots to 1903, when the Milton Dairy Company built a butter plant in East Ellsworth. In 1910, thirty local farmers established the Ellsworth Butter and Cheese Company, creating the cooperative structure that became the foundation of the modern business. Its initial focus was butter production. During the 1920s, the cooperative reportedly shipped more than one million pounds of butter annually to New York, demonstrating the reach of its early distribution network. The organization adopted the name Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery in 1938. Over time, it expanded through mergers with neighboring creameries in Lawton, Maiden Rock, Pepin, and Prescott. These combinations strengthened its agricultural base and broadened its production capabilities. A major strategic change occurred in 1965, when the cooperative moved into cheesemaking by opening its first cheese factory. Its Cheddar cheese curds became its signature offering and helped establish the business’s long-term identity. Ellsworth’s local reputation was formally recognized in 1983, when Wisconsin Governor Anthony Earl declared Ellsworth the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin. The designation reinforced the connection between the cooperative, the town, and Wisconsin’s dairy heritage. In subsequent decades, Ellsworth added whey drying, expanded retail operations, and developed international market activity while continuing to serve member dairy farms. The cooperative also pursued growth through acquisitions. It acquired Comstock Creamery in 2011 and Wohlt Creamery in 2018. In 2022, it opened a specialty cheese plant and retail store in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The facility represented a significant investment in specialty-cheese production, customer-facing retail, and the cooperative’s continuing expansion beyond its historic butter business. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery remains an operating dairy cooperative with more than 250 patron dairy farm families, according to the supplied reference material. Its positioning combines farmer ownership, regional dairy expertise, Wisconsin cheese identity, and broad distribution. The brand’s best-known association remains fresh cheese curds, while its wider business includes cheese manufacturing, milk processing, whey drying, retail stores, and distribution to consumers and food retailers.
History
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery developed from the agricultural and dairy economy surrounding Ellsworth, Wisconsin. The earliest cited predecessor was the Milton Dairy Company, which built a butter plant in East Ellsworth in 1903. The local dairy movement became formally cooperative in 1910, when thirty farmers organized the Ellsworth Butter and Cheese Company. The new organization initially concentrated on butter, reflecting the commercial importance of butter production and shipment in early twentieth-century Wisconsin. By the 1920s, the cooperative had achieved a substantial regional and interstate business. It shipped more than one million pounds of butter each year to New York, indicating that its output reached markets well beyond western Wisconsin. In 1938, the organization adopted the name Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. It subsequently broadened its base through mergers with neighboring creameries in Lawton, Maiden Rock, Pepin, and Prescott. The most important product transition in the cooperative’s history occurred in 1965, when it entered cheesemaking and opened its first cheese factory. The introduction of Cheddar cheese curds became central to the organization’s identity. Cheese curds helped distinguish Ellsworth from a conventional butter-focused creamery and connected the cooperative with Wisconsin’s growing reputation for specialty and snackable cheese products. Ellsworth’s community and state identity was strengthened in 1983, when Wisconsin Governor Anthony Earl declared Ellsworth the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin. The designation helped formalize the town’s association with cheese curds and gave the cooperative a powerful regional context for its signature products. Later development included the addition of a whey-drying plant, continued milk processing, retail expansion, and sales beyond the domestic region. The cooperative’s growth was not limited to organic expansion. In 2011 it acquired Comstock Creamery, followed by the acquisition of Wohlt Creamery in 2018. These transactions extended the organization’s presence in dairy processing and reinforced its position as a substantial cooperative enterprise. In 2022, Ellsworth opened a new specialty cheese plant and retail store in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The project expanded the cooperative’s production capabilities while also creating another consumer-facing location. The Menomonie operation complemented the established retail presence in Ellsworth. The cooperative’s modern business combines member-farm sourcing with manufacturing and distribution. It produces cheese curds and specialty cheeses, processes milk, dries whey, operates retail stores, and ships products throughout the United States. Ellsworth cheese curds are available through grocery chains in the Upper Midwest, and the reference material also notes international market activity. With more than 250 patron dairy farm families, the organization continues to operate as a farmer-owned cooperative rooted in Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
- 2022
Menomonie specialty cheese plant and retail store opens
[1]The cooperative opened a specialty cheese plant and retail store in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
- 2018
Wohlt Creamery acquisition
[1]Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery acquired Wohlt Creamery.
- 2011
Comstock Creamery acquisition
[1]Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery acquired Comstock Creamery.
- 1983
Ellsworth is named Wisconsin’s Cheese Curd Capital
[1]Wisconsin Governor Anthony Earl declared Ellsworth the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin, reinforcing the community’s cheese-curd identity.
- 1965
The cooperative enters cheesemaking
[1]Ellsworth opened its first cheese factory and introduced Cheddar cheese curds, which became its signature product.
- 1938
The organization becomes Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery
[1]The cooperative adopted the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery name.
- 1920
Butter shipments reach New York markets
[1]During the 1920s, the cooperative shipped more than one million pounds of butter annually to New York. The exact year of this achievement is not specified in the reference.
- 1910
Ellsworth Butter and Cheese Company is formed
[1]Thirty local farmers organized the cooperative predecessor, creating the farmer-owned structure that remains central to the business.
- 1903
Milton Dairy Company builds an East Ellsworth butter plant
[1]The predecessor operation established a butter plant in East Ellsworth, providing the early industrial foundation for the later cooperative.
Products and positioning
A farmer-owned Wisconsin dairy cooperative positioned around cheese-curd expertise, regional dairy heritage, member-farm ownership, and large-scale milk and cheese processing.
Cheese · 1965
Cheddar Cheese Curds
Introduced when Ellsworth entered cheesemaking in 1965, Cheddar cheese curds became the cooperative’s defining product. They are closely associated with Ellsworth’s identity as a Wisconsin cheese-curd producer and with the town’s designation as the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin. The curds are distributed through grocery channels in the Upper Midwest and shipped elsewhere in the United States.
Cheese · 2022
Specialty Cheeses
Ellsworth produces specialty cheeses through its expanded cheesemaking operations. The cooperative’s 2022 Menomonie facility was described as a specialty cheese plant, representing an extension of the business beyond its historic butter operations and signature Cheddar curds.
Dairy processing
Milk Processing
Milk processing is part of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery’s broader industrial role within the dairy supply chain. In addition to branded cheese products, the cooperative processes milk supplied through its farmer-owned membership and supports the production of cheese and related dairy outputs.
Dairy ingredients
Dried Whey
The cooperative operates a whey-drying plant. Whey drying allows a by-product of cheesemaking to be processed into a storable dairy ingredient, broadening Ellsworth’s activities beyond finished consumer cheese and strengthening its integrated processing model.
Brand decisions
2022
Open Menomonie specialty cheese plant and retail storeProduct launchBackground
Ellsworth continued investing in specialty-cheese production and customer-facing retail operations.
Action taken
The cooperative opened a new specialty cheese plant and retail store in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Aftermath
The opening expanded the cooperative’s production capacity and retail presence.
2018
Acquire Wohlt CreameryM&ABackground
The cooperative continued to expand through transactions involving neighboring dairy businesses.
Action taken
Ellsworth acquired Wohlt Creamery.
Aftermath
The transaction further extended Ellsworth’s dairy-processing operations.
2011
Acquire Comstock CreameryM&ABackground
Ellsworth pursued expansion within the dairy-processing sector.
Action taken
The cooperative acquired Comstock Creamery.
Aftermath
The acquisition contributed to the cooperative’s regional growth and processing footprint.
1965
Move from butter production into cheesemakingStrategyBackground
The cooperative had historically focused on butter production but sought to broaden its dairy business.
Action taken
Ellsworth opened its first cheese factory and introduced Cheddar cheese curds.
Aftermath
Cheese curds became the cooperative’s signature offering and a central part of its Wisconsin identity.
Sources1 sources
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