Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery masterfully adapts its plant operations
The cooperative made smart moves in its Ellsworth, Wis.-based plant to adjust to its increased production and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.
The small town of Ellsworth, Wis., which is tucked into the Northwest corner of Wisconsin close to the Twin Cities, has a big claim to fame. In a state renowned for its cheese curds, it was the town designated the “Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin” due to being home to the eponymous Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery.
The cooperative has operated a plant in Ellsworth since 1910 (See the Processor Profile), but the facility’s cheesemaking operations began in the 1960s. In the 1980s, Ellsworth began expanding its cheese curd production beyond just local sales. According to Kari Skibbie, senior director of sales and marketing, the company now manufactures 180 SKUs in Ellsworth. (It also operates plants in Comstock, Wis., and New London, Wis.).