By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan cheese makers are teaming up to strengthen their trade.

The Michigan Cheese Makers Cooperative was chartered last month to bring together members to market their products, leverage buying power and help each other through the challenges of cheese making.

Anne Hoyt, who owns and operates Leelanau Cheese Company in Suttons Bay, Mich., with her husband, John, is excited about the opportunities the newly-formed cooperative offers its members.
“We have been in business for 15 years,” Anne Hoyt said. “There are not a lot of people in the cheese making business.

“It’s hard to do things yourself, there’s more power as a team,” she said. “You want to know how you can help each other. We can share new ideas, new cheeses and recipes. We’ve never had anyone to share these with before. It’s very exciting.

“Every time we have a meeting, we speak the same language. Nobody else around here speaks ‘cheese,’” she said.

The Hoyts are also hopeful that the cooperative will aid members in purchasing supplies collectively and pooling resources to get better prices.

The Michigan State University (MSU) Product Center for Agricultural and Natural Resources (Product Center) pulled the cooperative together to “bring visibility to the fantastic cheeses made in the state by creameries using Michigan milk and artisanal techniques,” said Matt Birbeck, supply chain specialist and counselor liaison for the Product Center.

Funded by a grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Cooperative Development, the cooperative will help members market their artisanal cheeses to food stores in the state.

“A cooperative like this is very important in a state like Michigan that is not known, like Wisconsin, for its cheese. The possibilities are endless for a group like this,” said Jim Turner, state director for the USDA. “To see a cooperative come together can serve as an example for other cooperatives.”

Product Center Director Chris Peterson said forming a cooperative is right in line with the Product Center’s goals and that banding together is critical for success as a small business.

“Each of the members has a unique product,” Peterson said. “And that’s a wonderful thing. However, having your own unique product maximizes the workload when it comes to marketing, and it’s difficult for one producer to develop a portfolio of products. By marketing these together, members now have a portfolio of products which make them much more attractive as a grocery supplier.”

Building camaraderie and a helpful spirit is key for new cheese maker Barbara Jenniks, of Cowslip Creamery in Grand Rapids.
“It’s important to small cheese makers like me, because we’re all in this together,” she said. “If we all make good products, there’s room for all of us.”

Four members of the cooperative have been recognized for their cheeses, including Cowslip, Leelanau Cheese Company, Zimmerman’s Creamery of Ann Arbor and Greenbush Farms of St. Johns.

“When you’re in an artisan business, your reputation is very important. The fact that we have this many award winning cheeses in Michigan is good because it tells the consumer that this is a good product,” Peterson said.

Although the cooperative is relatively small – 11 members in all – Peterson said it is a representative group.

“Given our geographic spread across Michigan, I believe we do have a good group, and we definitely have the Lower Peninsula covered.”
Visit www.GreatLakesGreatCheese.com for more information about the Michigan Cheese Makers Cooperative, including a list of cheese makers.