Enabling Efficiency for Artisan Cheesemakers in America's Dairy Heartland
The Background
Lake Country Dairy is one of Wisconsin’s most respected artisan cheese producers, known for its focus on quality and its time-tested, traditional cheesemaking techniques. The dairy’s signature products are its aged cheeses, including Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago. Due to the sheer volume of supplies needed daily to keep up with demand, Lake Country Dairy required a partner that could fulfill all of the company’s needs, allow it to operate at maximum efficiency, and uphold its high standards of food safety and quality.
Wisconsin-based award-winning artisan cheesemakers acquired by fourth-generation family business Schuman Cheese in the 2000s
Known for using fresh milk from local farms and traditional cheesemaking practices
Ongoing high product demand
135,000 sq. foot production facility
Recognized as Dairy Plant of the Year by Dairy Foods magazine
The Challenge
Lake Country Dairy balances high production volume without sacrificing its traditional techniques or its commitment to staying as local as possible with Wisconsin-based ingredient sourcing. Its employees need to optimize time management, ensure safety across all areas of its operation, and juggle the procurement of hundreds of supplies, including rare and specialized items.
The Solution
Our Approach
Nelson-Jameson partnered with Lake Country Dairy to assess its needs and develop a customized approach that included sourcing solutions, time-saving guidance, and ongoing training and lab support.
Sourcing
As a single-source supplier, Nelson-Jameson consolidates equipment and ingredients from a multitude of partners, eliminating the need for Lake Country Dairy to spend time shopping around to procure supplies. Nelson-Jameson also provided flexible and recurring order options to increase efficiency and remove stress from the procurement process. Through long-standing supplier partnerships, the company provided solutions for its hard-to-find ingredients and supplies, ensuring that even rare items could be sourced through a single partner.
Time savings
In addition to streamlining the procurement process, Nelson-Jameson provided consultative guidance on time-saving equipment and procedures. For example, the company recommended a plate reader for Lake Country Dairy, which has saved its employees countless hours reading plates.
Ongoing training and support
Nelson-Jameson provided training courses to help the Lake Country Dairy team maintain the highest level of knowledge in food safety, regulatory compliance, cheese cultures, and cultures and enzymes’ effects on the finished attributes of cheese.
The Results
Nelson-Jameson has a unique consultative approach, and Lake Country Dairy continues to enjoy direct access to resources on a frequent basis, including lab supplies and support, packaging and equipment guidance, and onsite, in-lab training. Its dedicated team of experts works with the dairy to navigate challenges that would otherwise be difficult to tackle.
Our ongoing partnership
Nelson-Jameson continues to support Lake Country Dairy with a true partnership approach—proactively anticipating future needs, finding creative solutions to challenges, and providing dedicated customer service and training.
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Nelson-Jameson’s product development resources have assisted us with development of new products and processes that have helped us introduce new products to market. By tapping into these resources, including ongoing training and customer support, we have been able to increase the knowledge of our team while having a trustworthy partner that can meet our supply needs regularly. Their extensive knowledge in cheese and dairy production is a great resource to our company. Gary Gosda, Plant Manager |