Capri Cheesery
Felix is one man that runs the Capri
cheesery. It all started when his son was an infant and they found
out he was allergic to cow's milk. From there he started raising and
milking goats himself. After taking cheese-making classes at the
University of Madison-Wisconsin and a trip to Switzerland, where they
saw cheese-making the old fashion way, the family decided to try it
themselves first hand.
Everything is done by Felix in a small cheese factory in the heart of Wisconsin. He is in charge of everything from the cheese-making, the ageing, and the selling on his own, with the help of his family of course.
The reason for the use of raw milk is because pasteurizing destroys some of the enzymes in the milk, taking away from the flavor of the cheese. Plus using raw milk is the same way the Europeans make their artisan cheeses. Being from swiss descent, it only makes sense
All of the cheeses are made in small batches, some of which are cave aged, and some are raw milk aged cheeses.
Small farms are fading fast and by purchasing cheese from Capri creamery you are taking part in saving the small farms.
Artisan cheeses have been made in
America sense the pilgims landed here bringing their goats with them.
It is being produced the same way that is has been for thousands of
years. That is by hand in small batches. Cheese had provided much
needed protein for families trying to survive through the harsh
winters in the New World. Farmers started creating more cheese then
their families could eat. Thankfully with the growing economy, and
settlements the farmers were able to find a market for all of their
extra cheese. Farmers close to the market could create cheeses that
were fresher, and needed to be sold faster. But farmers away from the
market had to make aged cheeses that could withhold travel by horse
to the markets.
After World War II farmers were selling their land and farms to move onto bigger and better jobs. It seemed that American Artisan cheese would be done forever. When it came to food by the 1950's it was all about mass production and convenience. Processed cheese was overshadowing small farm cheese.
Then the 60's and 70's came and it was all about tradition, this included the tradition of small batch cheesemaking. The first artisian cheese makers of this generation were able to do so because of land, and the animals needed for production were still in their family. This allowed them to start production for a very small price. This brought back farmstead cheese, cheese created from milk to cheese all on the farm.
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