Ringing in the new year with Limburger

MONROE, Wis. — While crowds of people gathered at Times Square in New York City on New Year’s Eve to await the dropping of a giant ball at midnight, the residents of Monroe awaited something entirely different.  

 For the third year in a row, an 80-pound replica of Limburger cheese descended amidst cheers during a countdown that began one minute before 5 p.m. The cheese drop is timed to coincide with midnight in Switzerland to celebrate the Swiss heritage of the Chalet Cheese Cooperative — the only dairy processing plant in the nation that still produces Limburger cheese.  

“Opportunities to share the story of Limburger cheese are important to keep that cheese alive,” said Mike Hlubek, general manager of the Chalet Cheese Cooperative. “The cheese drop (among other events) helps to promote Limburger. We’re kind of an ambassador of that cheese.”

The cheese drop in the downtown square Dec. 31 spotlighted Limburger cheese, which Chalet Cheese Cooperative has been producing since 1885. While the cooperative, which is located just outside Monroe, is best known for Swiss and Baby Swiss cheeses, Limburger remains a part of its history. 

Known for its stinky aroma, Limburger cheese has deep roots in the community, brought to the area by German and Swiss immigrants who settled in the county. 

“Originally, Limburger was brought over as a recipe, and a lot of the German and Swiss immigrants were familiar with Limburger,” Hlubek said. “They really enjoyed the robust flavor that it has. It was something that they could eat that was inexpensive and would give them the protein they would need because at that time, meat was expensive and they didn’t have a lot of money.”

While Limburger cheese production has declined nationwide to now only one factory producing it, nostalgia from the older generation, as well as interest from a younger generation, helps keep the tradition alive. 

The Chalet Cheese Cooperative makes a half-million pounds of Limburger every year. 

“Over the years, demand has declined, but what we’re seeing are younger consumers are curious and willing to try the product, and we are seeing a resurgence in Limburger,” Hlubek said.

Main Street Monroe, a nonprofit organization, coordinated the event, offering family-friendly activities throughout the afternoon leading up to the cheese drop.

Executive Director Jordan Nordby said he estimates more than 1,500 people attended this year. 

“How fun is it that this gets to be part of my job, to organize and hopefully sustain and grow a cheese drop to highlight stinky cheese,” Nordby said. 

Main Street programs like Monroe’s focus on highlighting what makes each community unique. In Monroe, that identity is cheese and history.  

“Honoring (the Swiss heritage) and maintaining it and putting a little bit of a spotlight on it is very important,” Nordby said.

The cheese drop is made possible through community support and sponsors, including Minhas Brewery, an in-house brewery and one of the oldest in the country, Nordby said. 

The event originated as a volunteer-led idea in October 2023, when community members expressed a desire to host a New Year’s Eve celebration. One said, “This should be the year.”

Two months later, the first drop happened. Nordby expected about 50 attendees, but hundreds showed up. The event has continued to grow each year. 

Main Street Monroe approached Chalet Cheese Cooperative to request permission to use Limburger cheese in their drop, which Hlubek said was an easy decision. 

“We gave the (organization) a print of what our label would look like so they knew how to mock it up, giving them dimensions so it would be dimensionally accurate,” Hlubek said. “The next step was to figure out who was going to make it.”

Monroe High School shop classes constructed the replica, which is made of wood and wrapped in an aluminum-type metal. Dressed in lights, the giant block of Limburger cheese sparkled as the Monroe Fire Department lowered the cheese, which was suspended on a crane, at dusk. 

While coordinating many events taking place year-round in Monroe, Nordby sees this event as one to decompress after the Christmas holiday.

“I’m seeing people who are connecting with their neighbor who maybe they really haven’t talked to in months,” Nordby said. “It feels very community focused.” 

As Nordby was helping on the day of the event, Hlubek spent the evening with family and friends, including his wife. 

“It’s neat to be a part of (helping make the event possible),” Hlubek said. “(I’m) almost like a silent partner, just watching the event grow, watching the people and enjoying it. The drop occurs, and then we’ll go out for dinner and enjoy time with our friends.”