In addition to making seven varieties of spicy, hot cheddar cheeses such as Carolina Reaper and Scorpion, central Wisconsin-based Nasonville Dairy, a third-generation, medium-sized cheese processor, is “hot” for handcrafting 42 varieties of premium cheese, including Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Farmer’s, Pizza, Feta, Gouda, Fontina and Parmesan along with many flavored cheeses like Blue Marble Jack, Garlic & Herb, and Horseradish.

Centered on family, the dairy’s customer-centric, hands on approach is to give wholesale, foodservice, retail and online customers the freshest, most amazing natural cheese from the heart of Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland.

From the farm to the table, the family-owned and -operated Nasonville Dairy is laudable for several reasons.

First, the Marshfield, Wis.-based dairy, founded in 1885 as a small co-op, is the oldest cheese plant in Wood County, Wis.

Second, three processing plants have been family owned and operated primarily by the three Heiman brothers — Ken, CEO, Kelvin, manager of Transportation and Distribution, and Kim, manager of Plant Operations — since the late 1960s.

Third, 235 employees, including 17 licensed cheesemakers and four Master Cheesemakers, process 1.8 million pounds of raw milk a day from 190 Wisconsin-based dairy farms, fostering the production of 63 million pounds of cheese annually.

Fourth, the dairy operates two retail stores at each plant while also boosting its marketing efforts through the Weber’s Farm Store, which opened its doors in Marshfield, Wis., in 1904. Now complete with a drive-thru window, the store sells flavored kefirs, specialty butter, cheese, milk, sausage and other handcrafted Wisconsin products.

Fifth, Nasonville has a robust online business, particularly around the holidays when “14 pallets of product” were being assembled by some of Ken Heiman’s grandchildren, “the fourth-generation involved in the family business,” he says proudly, noting that “these gift baskets of cheese are bringing Wisconsin love to customers coast to coast.”

When asked what sets Nasonville Dairy apart from the rest, Ken Heiman points to the dairy’s rich history, its ability to make unique flavors, its “phenomenal team,” and the ability to customize recipes to whatever its customers need: kosher, halal or organic.

Versatility and diversity also are hallmarks of the 140-year-old dairy’s processing operations.

“Probably what makes us a little bit different than a lot of our neighbors is our versatility,” the CEO explains. “We make and manufacture quite a few different cheeses, including 20 flavors of Monterey Jack, Goudas, Muensters and Kefirs. We aren’t afraid of heat, either, as we love bringing unique spicy flavors for brave souls who want a taste of adventure. Our diverse portfolio gives us a lot of different categories in which we can compete and while we probably will never be the biggest, we have the versatility to do a number of different cheeses for the same customer.”

Distribution-wise, the dairy’s cheese and whey, the watery part of milk that separates from the curds when milk is curdled and strained, is distributed across the United States and exported internationally to China, Canada, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Chile.

Nasonville’s products are manufactured at three plants. They are the two-plants-under-one-roof at the main 65,000-square-foot headquarters at 10898 Hwy. 10 West that produces Feta and 40# Block Cheddar Cheese around the clock until Saturday; a milk bottling plant in Marshfield, Wis., which processes milk for 21 schools within a 60-mile radius; and the Nasonville North plant in Curtis, Wis., that handles 25,000 pounds of milk a day in small-sized vats to produce artisan specialty cheese, flavored cheese and cheese curds. (See “Inside the Plant” feature in this issue).

Ken and Kelvin along with their sons own a 500-cow dairy farm, Heiman Holsteins, and together the three brothers manage their own trucking and distribution company which currently boasts 7 semi-tractor trucks, along with 12 quad axle milk trucks, and 27 tanker trailers.

The dairy also handles all the packaging of its Greek-style Feta products, which comprises Feta Crumbles, Feta Chunk in Brine, Feta Chunk Dry Pack and Feta Spread, which are available in large industrial and foodservice packs to 6-ounce retail packs. With origins dating back to 17th century Greece, Feta has a bright, tangy flavors that can be used in far more than just salads, the company says.

The art and science of cheesemaking

Ken Heiman, who became a licensed cheesemaker at the age of 16, went on to earn Master Cheesemaker status, which he notes is the equivalent of a Ph.D. in cheese with a three-year commitment followed by an arduous test. With certifications in Asiago, Cheddar, Feta and Monterey Jack, the Master Cheesemaker says he thrives on “marrying art and science to get the right flavor and texture of cheese.”

Wearing his CEO hat, the oldest of the Heiman brothers is laser-focused on pursuing growth for the third- and fourth-generation dairy which uses the expertise of several family members involved in various facets of the business. For instance, Ken’s oldest son, Ryan, who is in charge of maintenance, was moving product with a forklift the day Dairy Foods toured; his wife, Amanda, runs Weber’s Farm Store; Kim’s son, Trevor, works with production and waste water; and Kelvin’s son, Kal, is head of truck maintenance. Ken and Kelvin each have a son Josh and Andrew that oversee the farm from cropping to milking along with the milk processing at the Weber’s Farm Store facility.

“We’ve grown to a point where we would consider ourselves not a large plant, but a medium-sized plant that's on the large end. So, we started out when our father [Arnie] brought us here. We ran 7,500 pounds of milk a day. Today, we run 1.8 million pounds of milk a day about six days a week — Saturdays are a little shorter days,” he tells Dairy Foods. “Every tanker hauls about 51,000 pounds of milk. Every one of those will last us 37-and-a-half minutes.

“We will probably up that this summer to go on to the next level. But at the moment, we make a lot of different cheeses sold all over the country as well as a number of parts of the world,” he continues. “The Nasonville’s plant alone produces about 160,000 pounds of cheese a day (buying milk from more than 190 local farms) — more than 46 million pounds of cheese a year, with more than 60% of that being made into cheddar.”

Yet, only 15% of the dairy’s total cheese production goes out under the familiar Nasonville label; the rest is contract packed and may end up as a food ingredient on a pizza, in a bread, in different entrees or even packaged under different brands, Ken Heiman explains.

When it comes to new product development, Weber’s Farm Store has the ideal set-up, says Kim Heiman, who explains that the shop at 9706 County Road in Marshfield, Wis., was purchased from the Suttner family in 1995. “The store not only sells specialty cheese, but it does huge cheese curd sales (we have 10 varieties). It was initially managed by Ken’s wife, Joellen (Weber) Heiman whose great-grandparents, Peter and Elizabeth Weber, ran it. So, it’s indirectly been in the family for a century.

“This little shop has a great customer following and has been indispensable in making some of our flavored cheese products since it uses smaller-sized vats to process about 25,000 gallons of milk a day,” he continues. “The store sells fresh 1% Lowfat Milk, award-winning flavored kefir in Plain, Raspberry, Strawberry, Mango and Blueberry along with delicious lowfat chocolate milk.”

When it comes to Nasonville Dairy’s $165 million annual revenue, it’s attributed to the ability to create and produce a variety of quality cheeses. Along with that, the Weber’s Farm Store has a revenue of $2 million from the sales of high-quality milk along with cheese, meats, butter, eggs, and don’t forget the ice cream. “That’s a true treat in the Marshfield area,” Kim Heiman stresses.

In the beginning

Dollar-wise, product-wise, equipment-wise and milk-production wise, Nasonville Dairy grew from humble beginnings. When it first began, Nasonville Dairy was a privately-owned, small cheese manufacturing operation that got its milk from just 50 cows delivered by horse-drawn wagons. It became a co-op, owned by some local farmers, during World War I before returning to private ownership during World War II, Ken Heiman explains.

Because of the turbulent economy, the dairy became a co-op again in the early 1960s and was named the Lincoln Center Co-op.

In 1968, the Heiman family — Arnold and Rena Mae, along with their three sons (Ken, Kim and Kelvin) and daughter (Kathy), who had experience running cheese plants elsewhere in Wisconsin — started running and managing the dairy for Lincoln Center.

Nearly 20 years later, in 1985, the Heiman’s purchased the co-op, changing it back to its original name, Nasonville Dairy.

Even the Nasonville and Weber’s Farm Store logos honor the past. The Nasonville logo features a “Since 1885” in bright red along with a historic photo of the first cheese plant and a “Family Tradition of Quality.” The Weber’s Farm Store logo, meanwhile, has a similar look and feel, with “Since 1904” on a cheese cutting board with a historic photo and the same “Family Tradition of Quality” tagline.

Speaking of family tradition, both Ken and Kim credit their “amazing employees” that they attest are “like family.”

Kim Heiman stresses: “They’re people that are very dedicated at what they do. They're very conscientious about their job. And one of the questions that's always asked — whether it be an SQF audit or the USDA is coming through for an inspection is, ‘Would you eat what you're producing here? Would you take it home and feed your family?’ And they [all say], ‘Yeah, 100% for sure.’

“So that's the great part about it,” he continues. “Because the growth potential that we've had and what we've come to know would not be possible without our fantastic team.”

Ken Heiman says he’s “thankful and blessed” to work with his employees, the dedicated dairy farmers who supply fresh milk within a 50-mile radius as well as the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, the Center for Dairy Research and the Wisconsin Cheese Maker’s Association.

“We have our fifth master’s coming online in April, and that’s been fantastic for us because it opens up an avenue to use that ‘Proudly Wisconsin’ logo on our products which helps further our sales,” he says. “But sometimes, we have to slow our sales department down because they can almost sell more than we can produce. That’s great, but that’s a testament to having great people in spots to be able to make that happen.”

Worldwide recognition

The quality of Nasonville’s artisanal cheese is garnering local, state and world acclaim. At the 2024 World Dairy Expo, Nasonville Dairy won five awards. Pepper Cheese Curds and Feta in Brine took first-place honors, while Blood Mary Cheese Curds and Feta Crumbles won second and third place, respectively. At the World Cheese Championship, Monterey Jack, a mild, buttery, semi-hard cheese with supreme meltability due to its high fat and moisture content, garnered first place.

Weber’s Farm Store also had success at last year’s World Dairy Expo, notching second place for its Raspberry Kefir and Reduced Fat White Milk, respectively, while Strawberry Kefir and Lowfat Strawberry Milk both earned third place. At the World Cheese Championship, Strawberry Kefir garnered third place.

“This last year was really good. At ACS [American Cheese Society], we took first for a number of different cheeses, while Monterey Jack was first in the world, a huge accomplishment,” Ken Heiman proudly states. “But I’m always laughing because we — and our cheese curds — took first at the ACS competition.

“I’m laughing because we have a friendly competition with Steve Stettler, a Master Cheesemaker at Decatur Dairy in Wisconsin down by Monroe,” he continues. “Anyway, we’re great friends, but we always prod and needle each other. We beat them and the year before, they beat us. We always end up either one or two. It’s just absolute fun. We just enjoy the hell out of it, and we give each other all kinds of flack. There’s a lot of camaraderie and community in the dairy industry, which I’m proud to be part of.” DF