John Oncken: A California cheese with a hint of Wisconsin

John Oncken  —  2/28/2008 8:56 am

It's surprising what one can find while traveling strange roads in an unfamiliar community in a far off land. Especially when the subject is agriculture, which is unique in every new stretch of geography.

The plain sign read "Bravo Farms Cheese Factory" and pointed to the Interstate 99 off-ramp leading to Traver, a small town north of Visalia, Calif. California is rather new in the cheese making business, but the state does produce a lot of cheese. So Bravo Farms seemed worth a visit.

First, some background. There are at least 140 cheese factories in Wisconsin. Some are big and make millions of pounds of cheese each year which they sell to others who market it under brand names including Foremost Farms USA of Baraboo and Alto Dairy Cooperative of Waupun (soon to be sold to Canada's Saputo Cheese).

Others make special types of cheese aimed at specific customers, for example Grande Cheese of Brownsville with its premium cheese that goes to independent pizza makers; Klondike Cheese of Monroe with its feta that can be found in high level restaurants, and Baker Cheese of St. Cloud with its string cheese.

There are smaller cheese factories, too, including Hennings Cheese of Kiel; Maple Leaf Cheese of Monroe and Chalet Cheese, also in Monroe (the only limburger maker in the U.S.), which are very small in size but very good in making and marketing.

In recent years farmstead and artisan cheeses have achieved much publicity and there are dozens of mostly family owned cheese operations in various stages of development. Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese of Waterloo is a family-owned startup (2002) that makes and markets specialty cheeses from the family dairy herd that has received national acclaim.

Cheese is also happening in California.

Like the Crave brothers, Bill and Pat Boersma were dairy farmers in Visalia, Calif., in the heart of the world's biggest milk producing area.

"We were milking 900 cows in 1990," Bill Boersma says. "But our accountant said we had to get bigger to stay in business. Our decision was to add value to our milk by making cheese.''

The Boersmas began by taking some cheese making courses at Washington State University and at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. They also did a lot of reading. They soon found out that research was good but experience was better.

They started making cheese in their farm milk house. "We made it for ourselves and our friends," Bill says. "We got our cheese making licenses in 1995." (California requirements to receive a cheese makers license are less demanding than in Wisconsin.)

Somewhere along the way, Boersma got a phone call from Debbie Crave from Crave Cheese concerning a story that had been written about Boersma's efforts to become a cheese marketer. "I was gratified and encouraged," Bill says. "I felt we might be getting somewhere."

In 2005 Boersma attended the International Dairy Deli Association in Minneapolis and met a group of Wisconsinites from the Dairy Innovation Business Center.

"They were promoting their dairy initiative program that included everything from starting up to making cheese to marketing cheese," Bill says. "I met Dan Carter (the inspiration behind the DBIC and longtime cheese marketer) and Andrea Neu of the DBIC and was so impressed I came home all excited about moving to Wisconsin and making cheese."

The idea was a no-go after Bill and Pat talked it over at home. Pat, who had attended school in Michigan, wanted nothing to do with Wisconsin winters. Bill suggested Seattle but that idea didn't last long either.

Meanwhile, the Boersmas were making cheese and selling it at farmers' markets in San Francisco. "We'd get up at 4 a.m and drive a hundred miles," Bill says. "At one time we were in nine farmers' markets, it was horrendous.''

The effort was paying off, however, as their Bravo Farms cheese was drawing favorable reviews and fans in the Bay Area. It also meant their cheese operation at Visalia was too small.

In 2005 the Boersmas had an "offer they couldn't refuse" and sold the last of their cows and farm and their entire cheese making business changed.

Jonathan Van Ryn, a family friend and recent graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in dairy product technology, entered the picture. Van Ryn also wanted to get into the cheese making business. His father milked cows in Arizona and also owned a small business center, located along I-99 near Visalia, that contained a restaurant and gift shop.

The Boersmas and Van Ryn joined forces, formed a 50/50 partnership and built a new cheese factory on the backside of the gift store. The factory opened in February 2006.

Meanwhile, Bravo Farms cheese was in demand.

"A seven-store chain in San Francisco called wondering how to get our cheese," Bill says. "After some discussion we agreed to deliver it to a distributor.''

That distributor began selling the Bravo Farms cheese to other distributors and it's now marketed through 18 distributors and is sold as far away as Chicago and Minneapolis.

The original Chipotle Cheddar is their most popular variety, accounting for half of the company sales. Silver Mountain Cheddar, a bandage wrap cheese, is one of Bill's favorites and he has high hopes for its future. The Tulare Cannonball Edam is a rising favorite that is made from a 500-year-old recipe.

The five full-time employees and three part-timers make cheese four days a week, 2,000 pounds per day. That's about half of the plant's full capacity.

Bill and Jonathan see a great future in specialty cheeses.

"Cheese is something you eat slowly," Bill says. "No one takes time to taste things anymore, but they are learning.''

When the Boersmas started making cheese in the early 1990s they were like a lone voice in the wilderness, Bill recalls. But they attended cheese meetings and that's where they met the Wisconsin DBIC delegation. "We didn't have a Dan Carter in California, but luckily I met him in Minneapolis," Bill says.

Things have changed in California. The California Milk Advisory Board and other dairy promotion groups are much involved. And yes, it won't be too many years before California passes Wisconsin as the No. 1 cheese state. But if you look a bit below the headlines, you'll probably find the Wisconsin influence as the crucial factor.

Just ask Bill Boersma and Jonathan Van Ryn of Bravo Farms in Traver, Calif.

John Oncken is owner of Oncken Communications, a Madison-based agricultural information and consulting company. He can be reached at 222-0624 or e-mail jfodairy@chorus.net

John Oncken  —  2/28/2008 8:56 am