Hidden Springs Creamery

What Hidden Springs Creamery does

Hidden Springs Creamery is a privately held, family-operated farmstead sheep dairy and on-site creamery headquartered in Westby, Wisconsin. The business operates a closed-loop production model in which a 350-head Lacaune flock is milked year-round on the farm, and the resulting milk is converted in an on-site creamery into a portfolio of small-batch sheep-milk cheeses organized into four families: the flagship Driftless fresh spreadable line (seven flavor variants including Natural, Honey Lavender, Habanero Honey, and Maple Cream), aged cheeses (Wischego Manchego-style, Ocooch Mountain Reserve and Grande, Serendipity), soft and semi-soft cheeses (Farmstead Feta, Bohemian Blue, Coulee Ricotta, Emmy Lou, Bad Axe variants), and a non-dairy extension line of artisan sheep-milk soap bars. Gift boxes (Hidden Springs Collection Box at $65, Pasture to Plate at $50, The Driftless Collection) and ticketed on-farm experiences (Thursdays On The Farm tastings at $25, June Dairy Month Breakfast at $30, Shepherdess Camp) round out the offering.

Name

Hidden Springs Creamery

Legal name

Hidden Springs Creamery

Website

https://hiddenspringscreamery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hidden Springs Creamery is a family-operated, Wisconsin farmstead sheep dairy and creamery that produces small-batch artisan sheep-milk cheeses, sheep-milk soap, and on-farm tasting experiences, sold direct-to-consumer, at regional farmers markets, and through specialty wholesale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan sheep milk cheese

NAICS

Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Lactose-Free Dairy Frozen Desserts Manufacturing (AFAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Butter & Cultured Dairy (Yogurt, Sour Cream, Kefir) Wholesale (AFAIAEAB)

Keywords

• Artisan sheep milk cheese
• Farmstead creamery
• Specialty dairy products
• Sheep milk soap
• Farmstead cheesemaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Westby

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales: One-time online purchases of cheese, soap, and gift boxes via the Shopify storefront with a $50 minimum order and free shipping for orders $150+.
2. Farmers market retail sales: Direct weekly sales at Eau Claire Farmers Market (May–Oct), Madison Summer Farmers Market (April–Nov), and Dane County Farmers Market, including lamb summer sausage and lamb meat sticks.
3. Wholesale via Faire marketplace: Wholesale channel enabling retailers to carry unique sheep cheeses; products listed on Faire's direct marketplace.
4. Event tickets and on-farm experiences: Ticketed revenue from "Thursdays On The Farm" tastings and tours ($25.00), the June Dairy Month Breakfast on the farm ($30.00), and the Shepherdess Camp workshop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hidden Springs Creamery is a family-owned farmstead sheep-dairy operation that milks a 350-head Lacaune flock and produces small-batch artisan sheep-milk cheeses (Driftless spreadable line, Wischego Manchego-style, Farmstead Feta, Bohemian Blue, Coulee Ricotta, Ocooch Mountain, Emmy Lou, Serendipity, Bad Axe) in an on-farm creamery. It sells these cheeses plus ancillary sheep-milk soap and gift boxes via Shopify and Barn2Door e-commerce, Faire wholesale, three Wisconsin farmers markets, and ticketed on-farm tasting/tour experiences.

Product overview

Hidden Springs Creamery operates a single farmstead brand under which it sells a unified portfolio of sheep-milk products rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The portfolio is organized into four product families: (1) the Driftless fresh cheese line (Natural, Basil & Olive Oil, Cranberries & Cinnamon, Garlic & Herb, Habanero Honey, Honey Lavender, Maple Cream), which is the flagship line; (2) aged cheeses (Wischego, Serendipity, Ocooch Mountain Reserve and Grande); (3) soft and semi-soft cheeses (Bohemian Blue, Coulee Ricotta, Farmstead Feta, Emmy Lou, plus the specialty Bad Axe and Bad Ax Jalapeno); and (4) a 'More Sheep Products' extension line of artisan sheep milk soap bars (Farm Fresh, Lamb's Lullaby, Pasture Rose, Rowdy Ram, Rambling Rain). The farmstead also bundles these into gift boxes (Hidden Springs Collection Box, The Driftless Collection, Pasture to Plate) and sells on-farm experience products (Thursdays On The Farm tastings, June Dairy Month Breakfast, Shepherdess Camp). All products are produced from a single 350-head Lacaune sheep herd managed by Travis and Amy Forgues at the Westby, Wisconsin farm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Driftless Cheese Line

Quantifiable outcome

• 1st Place at 2025 American Cheese Society for Driftless Natural
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FairecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFaire hosts Hidden Springs Creamery's wholesale storefront, enabling independent retailers and cheesemongers to order 'unique sheep cheeses that are made with you in mind' for resale. The contact page explicitly invites wholesale buyers to 'find our products on Faire.'
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationShopify powers the Hidden Springs Creamery online store and website. The Terms of Service explicitly state that 'Hidden Springs Creamery is powered by Shopify' and references Shopify trademarks and privacy policy integration.
• Barn2DoorcoreTechnology or IntegrationBarn2Door hosts a secondary online storefront (app.barn2door.com/hiddenspringscreamery/all) referenced from the contact page for direct product purchases alongside the Shopify site.
• Driftless CuriosityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of the Shepherdess Camp (June 12–14) covering sheep dairy and cheesemaking with Hidden Springs Creamery co-owner Amy Forgues as featured instructor. The Events page links out to Driftless Curiosity's Facebook profile.
• Latarnia Guest HouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of the June Dairy Month Breakfast on the farm (Sunday, June 14, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM), alongside Hidden Springs Creamery and Birch Point Distillery.
• Birch Point DistilleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of the June Dairy Month Breakfast on the farm (Sunday, June 14, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM), alongside Hidden Springs Creamery and Latarnia Guest House.
• Eau Claire Downtown Farmers MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHosts Amy Forgues with Hidden Springs products every Saturday from May through October (7:30 am – 1 pm) at 300 Riverfront Terrace, Eau Claire, WI.
• City of Madison Farmers MarketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMadison Summer Farmers Market host venue on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd; Wednesdays 8:30 am – 1:45 pm, seasonal April through November.
• Dane County Farmers MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSaturday market where Travis sells Hidden Springs cheeses starting April 11; the market's Garver Feed Mill location also hosts the Dane County Winter Market (January 3 – April 4, 2026, Saturdays 8:00 am – 12:00 pm).
• Garver Feed MillminorOthersVenue partner hosting the Dane County Winter Market (3241 Garver Green, Madison) where Hidden Springs sells products from January 3 through April 4, 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Vermont Shepherd: A farmstead sheep-dairy and creamery in Vermont producing aged sheep-milk cheeses from a single on-farm flock. Closely analogous to Hidden Springs in species, scale, and farmstead model.
• Bellwether Farms: Northern California farmstead creamery producing sheep- and cow-milk cheeses and yogurts from a single on-farm flock. Comparable farmstead vertical-integration model and direct-to-consumer ethos.
• Jasper Hill Farm: Vermont farmstead cheese maker with a national reputation and multiple ACS/World Cheese Championship placements. Comparable in craft pedigree, competition record, and farmstead production.
• Old Chatham Sheepherding Company: New York-based sheep-milk cheese producer known for award-winning sheep's milk cheeses including a camembert-style bloomy rind. Comparable in product category, species, and U.S. craft-dairy positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Cypress Grove: Established U.S. specialty cheesemaker (Marin French, Humboldt Fog) with broad retail distribution. Comparable in sheep- and goat-milk artisan cheese category but operates at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61553338743708
• Instagraminstagram.com/hidden_springs_creamery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hidden-springs-creamery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hidden Springs Creamery