Adam Mueller joined Minerva Dairy Inc. as president Sept. 1, following his presidency at Grafton Village Cheese where he commissioned the second facility and developed a nationwide sales presence for the critically acclaimed nonprofit aged-cheddar manufacturer.
Mueller is looking forward to continuing to strengthen the private-label sales of the dairy's lacey swiss, and its family of kosher cheeses, which are the niche markets of Minerva Dairy.
Most buyers nationwide do not realize Minerva also produces more than a million pounds of hand-crafted butter annually, all in the Minerva Dairy brand -- a fact Mueller looks to change. He also sees continued growth in developing unique recipes for customers who are using the cheese as an ingredient in prepared specialty entrees.
"Minerva Dairy is a hidden gem in the cheese industry; we are large enough to service multi-million dollar accounts, but small enough to lead a customer through the stages of development, resulting in a unique batch of artisanal hand-crafted cheese," Mueller said.
He continued, "We also produce traditional churn butter, which is hand packed and wrapped for sale predominately in the Ohio valley. We look forward to launching this into new markets in the following year."
Phil Mueller, owner and fourth-generation cheesemaker of the family business, has been president since 1976, and is transitioning into the role of chief executive officer.
"We are proud to be on our fifth generation and value the lifestyle a family business can provide to our staff. We consider ourselves an extension of the farm, with everyone starting work at a young age learning all aspects of the business," Phil said.
Minerva Dairy was founded in 1894 when first generation Max P. Radloff established Radloff Cheese in Hustisford, Wisc. During the early 1900s he built multiple cheesemaking locations, culminating with Minerva Dairy, producing bottled milk, ice cream, butter and cheese in 1935.
Today, from milk supplied by small family farms, Minerva Dairy produces a wide variety of cheese, including cheddar, Swiss, Italian, and kosher styles. Minerva also produces artisanal butter for bakery, confection and retail sale.
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