Uplands Cheese

What Uplands Cheese does

Uplands Cheese Company is a privately held, family-owned farmstead creamery operating on a 500-acre rotational-grazing dairy farm in the Driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin (Dodgeville, WI). Founded in 2000 by Mike Gingrich and Dan Patenaude (with the underlying farm cooperative established in 1994), the business transferred ownership in 2014 to two families — Andy and Caitlin Hatch, and Scott and Liana Mericka — who continue to operate it today. The operation employs 11–50 staff, combining year-round employees with seasonal hires for the May–October peak cheesemaking season, and is explicitly described as small and family-run.

The commercial offering centers on two flagship raw-milk farmstead cheeses: Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an aged alpine-style cheese produced May through October from grass-fed cows and described as the most-awarded cheese in American history (three ACS Best of Show wins and the 2003 US Cheese Championships); and Rush Creek Reserve, a fall-only soft-ripened cheese bound in spruce bark and aged side-by-side with Pleasant Ridge. Supporting lines include an Extra-Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve variant (15+ months, $35), four holiday gift boxes ($75–$140), an oven-crock bundle with custom stoneware from Wilson Creek Pottery, handmade charcuterie from Driftless Provisions, branded merchandise (caps, t-shirts, annual watercolor prints), and a co-marketed 2025 book. Production reaches ~70 wheels/day at peak, with single batches yielding up to 78 ten-pound Pleasant Ridge wheels in mid-summer, while rush Creek is produced in autumn as cows transition from pasture to hay.

Revenue is generated primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce (own WooCommerce storefront, free shipping on $100+ orders and gift boxes, shipping limited to the lower 48 U.S. states via FedEx/UPS) and wholesale distribution to specialty cheese shops and fine-dining restaurants nationwide via a public 'Where to Buy' retailer map. Retail pricing for flagship cheeses spans $30–$37 per unit, with gift boxes from $75 to $140 and a crock bundle at $125. Marketing leans on owned channels (website storytelling, email newsletter), earned media (CNN's Breaking Bread with Tony Shalhoub, Top Chef: Wisconsin Season 21 in spring 2024, the 2025 book The Wisconsin Whey), and an annual Caitlin Hatch watercolor print series (2011–2025). The company has received two $100,000 development tranches from the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (June 2023 and June 2024), reflecting ongoing R&D ties.

Name

Uplands Cheese

Legal name

Uplands Cheese Company

Website

https://uplandscheese.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Uplands Cheese Company is a family-owned farmstead creamery in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, producing award-winning raw-milk artisan cheeses (Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Rush Creek Reserve) and seasonal gift boxes for direct-to-consumer and specialty wholesale customers across the lower 48 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Farmstead Cheese

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Dairy Product (except Dried or Canned) Merchant Wholesalers (424430)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB), Cheese Shops & Fromageries (CRAHAGAD), Cheese Wholesale (AFAIAEAC)

Keywords

• Artisan farmstead cheese
• Aged raw milk cheese
• Rotational grazing dairy
• Specialty cheese manufacturing
• Alpine style cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Dodgeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-consumer cheese and gift box sales: One-time purchases of cheese wheels/cuts, seasonal gift boxes, gift boxes paired with accompaniments, books and merchandise via own e-commerce storefront. Includes free-shipping thresholds ($100+ orders and all gift boxes), volume pricing on request, and a holiday ordering deadline (December 20).
2. Wholesale to specialty cheese shops and restaurants: Distribution of wheels and aged cheese to specialty retailers and restaurants across the country. A 'Where to Buy' retailer map on the website indicates active wholesale relationships; retailers can request to be added.
3. Branded merchandise sales: Sale of branded apparel (t-shirts, baseball cap) and annual Rush Creek Reserve watercolor prints (each year from 2011 through 2025 editions, priced at $5), sold primarily via the own storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Uplands Cheese operates a 500-acre rotational-grazing dairy farm and on-farm creamery in southwestern Wisconsin that produces two seasonal raw-milk artisan farmstead cheeses: Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an aged alpine-style cheese made May–October from grass-fed cows and washed with proprietary house curing cultures, and Rush Creek Reserve, a fall-only soft-ripened cheese bound in spruce bark. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's own e-commerce storefront and through curated gift boxes, with supplementary wholesale to specialty cheese shops and restaurants across the United States.

Product overview

Uplands Cheese Company operates a single, farmstead cheese brand rather than a software platform — its commercial offering is structured as a tight core product line (two raw-milk artisan cheeses: Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an aged alpine-style cheese made May–October from grass-fed cows, and Rush Creek Reserve, a fall-only soft-ripened cheese bound in spruce bark) supported by a set of curated add-ons. The premium cheese tier extends to an Extra-Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve variant, and the core cheeses are repackaged into four holiday gift assortments (Pleasant Ridge Reserve Gift Box, Rush Creek Reserve Gift Box, Everything & More Gift Box, and Driftless Gift Box: Artisan Cheese & Book) plus a Rush Creek Reserve Oven Crock bundle (with a custom stoneware crock from Wilson Creek Pottery). The portfolio is further extended with adjacent food products (Handmade Summer Sausage, Handmade Pork Salami, Handmade Venison Salami, all from Driftless Provisions), a co-marketed book (The Wisconsin Whey: Cheesemaking in the Driftless), and Uplands-branded merchandise including Baseball Cap, Classic and Navy T-shirts, and the annual Caitlin Hatch watercolor Rush Creek Reserve Print series (2011–2025). Direct-to-consumer shipping anywhere in the lower 48 is fulfilled via FedEx/UPS, with the website adding an AI-driven accessibility layer (WCAG 2.1 AA) on top of its WooCommerce storefront.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pleasant Ridge Reserve: Uplands' flagship, aged, alpine-style cheese made only during the summer months from May through October using fresh, raw, grass-fed milk. The most-awarded cheese in American history, with multiple Best of Show honors from the American Cheese Society and the US Cheese Championships.
• Rush Creek Reserve
• Extra-Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve

Products and services

• Pleasant Ridge Reserve Aged, alpine-style raw-milk cheese made only May–October from cows on fresh pasture; washed-rind wheels aged 10–14 months on the farm; $30 per unit. Most-awarded cheese in American history.
• Extra-Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve Limited subset of Pleasant Ridge Reserve wheels aged at least 15 months and released each fall; drier, more concentrated flavor; $35 per unit.
• Rush Creek Reserve Autumn-only soft-ripened raw-milk cheese bound in a strip of spruce bark; each ~12 oz cheese is spoonable when warmed; $37 per unit; shipped with a serve-by sticker typically 5–6 weeks from shipment.
• Pleasant Ridge Reserve Gift Box

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 x ACS Best of Show winner (2001, 2005, 2010) — only cheese to achieve this
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wilson Creek PotteryminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerWilson Creek Pottery, based in Spring Green, WI, produces custom kiln-fired stoneware crocks made specifically for serving Rush Creek Reserve. Each Rush Creek Reserve Oven Crock bundle ($125) includes one cheese and one crock with heating/serving instructions. Crock is handmade, dishwasher-safe functional stoneware.
• Driftless ProvisionsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerNeighboring maker in Viroqua, WI, producing handmade charcuterie for Uplands' online store: Handmade Summer Sausage (grass-fed beef + heritage pork, no nitrates), Handmade Pork Salami (Saucisson Sec), and Handmade Venison Salami (Venison Picante).
• Hook's CheeseminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFeatured partner whose Hook's 10-Year Cheddar is included in the Driftless Gift Box. Long-running relationship; family cheesemaker located near Uplands' farm in the Wisconsin Driftless Region.
• Roelli CheeseminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFeatured partner whose Roelli Red Rock (a natural-rinded cheddar laced with subtle blue cheese veining, made by Master Cheesemaker Chris Roelli) is included in the Driftless Gift Box. Roelli family has been making cheese in the neighborhood for nearly 100 years.
• Potters CrackersminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMadison, WI-based maker of Organic Classic White Crackers, included in the Pleasant Ridge Reserve Gift Box and Everything & More Gift Box (5-oz package).
• Honey AcresminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerNeosho, WI-based supplier of Basswood Honey (1.5-oz jar) included in the Everything & More Gift Box.
• Fortune FavorsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMadison, WI-based maker of Candied Pecans (4-oz jar) included in both the Driftless Gift Box and the Everything & More Gift Box.
• Trillium Print StudiominorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSpring Green, WI-based print shop that produces Uplands Cheese branded t-shirts (Classic Heather Gray and Navy, unisex sizing XS/S/M/L/XL/XXL).
• Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship ProgramminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUplands Cheese participates in the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Program, occasionally bringing on a seasonal apprentice through it for the farm operation.
• Southwestern WI Community Action Program (SWCAP)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal food pantry that receives 10% of all Driftless Gift Box sales donated by Uplands Cheese.
• Center for Dairy Research (University of Wisconsin-Madison)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUplands' founder Mike Gingrich worked with the cheese scientists at the nearby Center for Dairy Research (and with local cheese makers) starting in 2000 to develop the recipe for Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Co-owner Andy Hatch also apprenticed under Master Cheesemaker Gary Grossen at Babcock Hall while at UW-Madison.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jasper Hill Farm: Vermont-based farmstead creamery producing raw-milk, cave-aged cheeses (e.g., Bayley Hazen Blue, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar) on its own dairy farm. Closely comparable to Uplands in scale, raw-milk farmstead model, aging-driven premium positioning and DTC/wholesale distribution.
• Rogue Creamery: Oregon farmstead creamery famous for its award-winning Rogue River Blue and other cave-aged cheeses. Comparable to Uplands as a single-origin, raw-milk, award-collecting artisan cheese maker with national wholesale and DTC.
• Vermont Creamery: Vermont-based artisan creamery producing farmstead and small-batch cheeses (e.g., Bijou, Coupole). Comparable to Uplands in premium farmstead positioning, though it now operates at a larger and more diversified scale.
• Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese: California farmstead cheese maker (Original Blue, Bay Blue, Toma) operating on its own dairy. Similar to Uplands in on-farm production, national specialty distribution and a flagship raw-milk blue that anchors a broader portfolio.
• Maytag Dairy Farms: Iowa farmstead producer of award-winning Maytag Blue. Comparable to Uplands as a family-owned, on-farm, raw-milk blue/alpine-style cheesemaker with a single iconic flagship cheese and national specialty distribution.
• Cypress Grove: California-based artisan cheese maker best known for Humboldt Fog and a lineup of fresh and aged goat cheeses. Comparable to Uplands as a premium American artisan brand with national specialty retail and foodservice distribution.

Emerging players

• Hook's Cheese: Wisconsin family cheesemaker (including the 10-Year Cheddar featured in Uplands' Driftless Gift Box). Comparable as a small-batch Wisconsin artisan cheese maker and as an actual co-marketing partner in Uplands' gift box ecosystem.
• Roelli Cheese: Wisconsin Driftless-region cheesemaker (Roelli Red Rock) run by Master Cheesemaker Chris Roelli. Comparable as a Wisconsin farmstead/artisan cheesemaker and as a co-marketing partner in Uplands' Driftless Gift Box.

Broad incumbents

• BelGioioso Cheese: Wisconsin specialty/Italian-style cheesemaker with a much broader portfolio of artisan and fresh cheeses. Comparable as a Wisconsin-based specialty cheese maker competing in similar retail and foodservice channels, though at far larger scale.
• Tillamook County Creamery Association: Oregon farmer-owned dairy cooperative with a national specialty cheese portfolio (including aged cheddars). Comparable as a farmer-owned, premium-positioned U.S. dairy brand with national distribution, though at substantially larger scale than Uplands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UplandsCheese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uplands-cheese-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Uplands Cheese