Brenda and Dean Jensen’s farm and creamery sits atop a bluff in SW Wisconsin. Brenda left a corporate job to raise sheep and make cheese. I believe she found herself an even more demanding job. She does employ her son, Joe, and some Amish neighbors to help with most aspects of the farming operation but the cheesemaking is her domain. Presently there are roughly 200 sheep of the East Friesian and Lacaune variety that roam on some of the most fertile terrain in the state. Looking out over the bluff at her sheep herd grazing in the fields one sees the connection, the terroir, between the environment and the wonderful cheeses produced. Brenda has received awards internationally for her Driftless Cheese, a fresh creamy spread named after her region in Wisconsin that did not get destroyed by the glaciers, thus leaving the beautiful bluffs and rolling valleys. For more information or to purchase cheeses go to www.hiddenspringscreamery.com.

What motivated you to become a cheese maker?
We began to milk sheep, and the profit margins were low. We knew we had good milk. We went out in search for a cheese maker to take some of our milk and make cheese. We read about Willie Laner and called him. He told us about the Dairy Business Innovation Center in Madison and we contacted them. They put us in touch with many people who made cheese and knew a lot about cheese. They suggested for us to take a class on Artisan cheese making. It was at Mary Falks up north. One of the sessions was actual hands on cheese making at her farm. Once I got my hands in the whey, I wanted to make cheese.

Do you have any formal training?
I have my cheeesemakers license which is a series of classes and an apprenticeship. I have also made cheese with other cheesemakers and taken other classes.

What’s a typical day like?
I only milk part time now, so if I need to I milk sheep, if not I head directly to the creamery and get things ready for milk. We make cheese twice a week here currently. The others days are spent waxing cheese, washing the washed rind cheese, mixing the fresh cheese with flavors, packaging cheese for delivery, making deliveries, general sanitation and cleaning, and ordering supplies. I am trying to focus more time on sales and marketing right now.

What’s your personal favorite from the cheese you make?
The Ocooch Mountain washed rind cheese, and the natural Drifltess.

Any new cheeses in the works?
Yes , we are now making a natural rind, semi soft cheese: Bad Axe named after a nearby river. We also started making a wonderful feta; Farmstead Feta