Looking to the future

ELLSWORTH, Wis. – The “Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin” got a new leader last December as Kevin Pieh was named CEO of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. Pieh had been the interim CEO since September 2024. Along with new leadership, the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery underwent a rebranding, with its new look unveiled in January.

“I am honored to be the next CEO of Ellsworth Creamery and look forward to further connecting with our patrons, employees and customers in this capacity,” Pieh said. “Ellsworth Creamery is an incredible organization with a bright future and potential for strong growth. I’m excited to represent our farmer-owners and lead our outstanding team of employees.”

Founded in 1910, the creamery boasts a long history of working with patrons, employees and the community. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery produces 180,000 pounds of cheese curds each day at plants in Ellsworth, Menomonie and New London.

“We impact a lot of people in different ways,” Pieh said. “That’s a big focus for us, the team, families and stakeholders who are involved with the creamery. Our patrons, haulers, vendors, customers and overall our community are so supporting of local businesses. Our footprint here is important.”

At its founding in 1910, the Ellsworth Butter and Cheese Company became a cooperative and bought out the Milton Dairy Company. Local farmers banded together to establish a processing plant they owned and directed. Some descendants from the founders are still part of the creamery and have continued the legacy of working together which began at the creamery’s inception.

“Our member-owners and patrons are the starting point of who we are,” Pieh said. “We have some generational farms, and the tradition and heritage of our cooperative is amazing.”

Known for its cheese curds, the creamery has a diverse product line that also includes 500-pound barrels and 40-pound blocks of cheese. The New London plant specializes in processed cheese.

Originally from the Twin Cities area, Pieh joined the creamery in 2022 as the chief financial officer. Prior to his move to Ellsworth, he worked at Land O’Lakes Inc. in the finance division and with Truterra, a sustainability program under the Land O’Lakes umbrella.

“I started in financial services where I learned a lot about risk management and forecasting,” Pieh said. “At Land O’Lakes, I learned more about the cooperative structure, equity and patronage and how a co-op operates from a financial standpoint.”

With his elevation to CEO, Pieh is looking to cement a base as he takes on new challenges.

“As interim (CEO), we were navigating day-by-day,” Pieh said. “Now we get the chance to focus on laying the right foundation and how we can operate going forward.”

Teamwork has been and continues to be essential in the creamery’s efforts to advance.

“From an organizational, financial and operational standpoint, we all need to work together,” Pieh said. “We have to have a healthy culture and solid foundation. That’s critical to support our patrons, our employees and our communities.”

The team at Ellsworth extends beyond Pieh and his administrative team as they work closely with the board of directors to move the creamery in the right direction.

“We have 180 patrons that ship milk here every day,” Pieh said. “That faucet doesn’t turn off, so we need to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up to support our patrons and employees.”

As Pieh leads the creamery into the future, the creamery also launched a new logo. The design reflects the history and longevity of the creamery but gives it a contemporary twist.

“We want to communicate the Ellsworth Creamery story to our customers in a way that resonates with consumers, that’s relevant and pops on the shelf,” Pieh said. “It’s important to honor the tradition and history we have and continue that going forward.”

Like the older version, cows are included in the new logo. The updated logo features a cow standing near a barn with 1910 near its roof and Ellsworth Creamery taking a prominent spot below the illustration. The former logo featured a pair of cows standing outside a barn with Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery encircling the illustration.

“With the new logo, we’re still a cooperative; nothing has changed on the business structure,” Pieh said. “Going forward, our new packaging will include the words ‘Farmer-Owned’ to more clearly convey what Ellsworth Creamery is about.”

Customers can expect to see the new packaging on shelves this spring as the branding rollout has already begun.