Satori Cheese cheesemaker Jeremy Werdeo is the company’s latest to earn the prestigious title of Master Cheesemaker in Cheddar and Parmesan.

Werdeo has been at Sartori for more than 22 years after joining the company in 2003. Starting with a role in the packaging department, he eventually entered cheesemaking as a beginner and climbed his way through the ranks to become a master of the craft. 

“Cheesemaking is a collective effort, and this honor reflects the hard work of the entire team at Sartori,” said Werdeo. “Every day, my goal is to help bring our farmers’ milk to life by making great cheese. I couldn’t be more excited to continue doing that alongside my team.”

“We’re proud to join Jeremy in celebrating this prestigious and well-deserved honor,” said Sartori CEO Bert Sartori. “Our cheesemaking tradition has always been at the heart of what we do at Sartori, and Jeremy represents the passion, curiosity and excellence keeping that tradition alive here 86 years later.”

Each Master Cheesemaker candidate must complete more than 80,000 hours of cheesemaking and boast over ten years of experience before being accepted into the program. They must also possess five years of experience with the specific variety of cheese for which they wish to receive the certification. Once accepted, candidates are required to complete three years of rigorous training and coursework. 

Werdeo received the Master Cheesemaker honor on April 17 at the U.S. Cheese Championship awards banquet at CheeseCon in Madison. In the state of Wisconsin, there are more than 1,200 licensed cheesemakers, but fewer than 100 hold the prestigious title of Master Cheesemaker. Sartori expects to have another of its cheesemakers attain the Master Cheesemaker title in the coming years.