Westby Cooperative Creamery

First creamery located at the corner
of Washington Street at Davidson

The Westby Cooperative Creamery is one of the oldest cheese factories in the state. On October 31, 1903, Articles of Incorporation were drawn and 300 Vernon County farmers each bought a $10 capital stock certificate to form the Westby Cooperative Creamery. By pooling their money, resources and product, they hoped to build a future for themselves and their families.

First creamery with additions
and window flower boxes

They did not know they would be forming a business entity that would become the anchor of their community, and continue to be a part of their great great great great great grandchildren's lives. They just thought they would make butter.  And they have ever since. In a small building built for $1,225 on a $400 piece of land, the Creamery produced 67,524 pounds of butter during its first year.

Today the creamery is known nationwide for its quality dairy products that are all made from milk that is farmer-certified free of Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST, also known as rBGH, or bovine growth hormone). 

 Westby Cooperative Creamery built in the twenties

The cooperative is owned by the 120 dairy farmers who supply the milk for its products. They produce a variety of natural cheeses, cottage cheese, dry curd, sour cream, butter, and, of course, the famous cheese curds.

                                                      

Present Westby Cooperative Creamery on South Main Street

First Place Awards to Westby Cooperative Creamery

at 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest.

Westby Cooperative Creamery products have won 1st Place Awards at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.

In the product category of Cottage Cheeses, Westby brand 4% Small Curd Cottage Cheese took 1st Place with a score of 98.25%, besting other finalist by nearly 1.5 percentage points.  In the debut new product category of Yogurts, as a cultured dairy food, Westby brand Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt received the 1st place award with a Best-of-Class score of 99.5% in the Cow’s-Milk Flavored Yogurt category.

According to John Umhoefer, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association; “The United States Championship Cheese Contest is the largest technical evaluation of cheese, butter and yogurt products in the United States; with the first place winner in many product categories determined by just tenths of a percentage point.  This contest is rooted in more than 120 years of our association history, beginning with our first cheese judging contest in 1891.  In recent years, this event has more than doubled in size, with nearly 2000 entries from 28 states, totaling more than 30,000 pounds of dairy products, in ninety product categories.  A panel of expert judges was assembled from across the country for this 2015 national awards competition.”

Westby Cooperative Creamery Distribution Center on North Main Street