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'We're getting creative': Chalet Cheese Co-op opens new retail store in New Glarus

  • Sara Maslar-Donar joined the 27 News team in June 2019 as a reporter. These days, she anchors and produces 27 News at 5 p.m. each weekday. She is also the host of Capital City Sunday, a weekly political show. Previously, she spent four years as a reporter and anchor for the ABC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri.

    Sara got her undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri and is one of the proudest Tigers you’ll ever meet (MIZ!) She received numerous awards from the Missouri Broadcaster’s Association for her business and economic development reporting, as well as awards from the Missouri Bar Association for legal journalism.

    When she’s not holding state and local officials accountable, she’s most likely relaxing at home with a craft beer and watching a true crime documentary. She’s thrilled to be able to continue her time exploring all that Southern Wisconsin has to offer. 

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Chalet Cheese Haus
Photo courtesy of Chalet Cheese Cooperative

We spoke with members of the co-op about this new chance to showcase their award-winning cheeses.

NEW GLARUS (WKOW) -- Lovers of great cheese have a new place to get their fix. Chalet Cheese Cooperative has opened a retail store in New Glarus.

The Co-op is one of the oldest in the United States, and it's also the only American producer of Limburger cheese. 

"What kind of sets us apart from the rest is that not only are these great farms, but we also have a lot of Swiss milk," said Bryan Voegeli, the owner of Voegeli Farms. "Maybe 40 to 50 percent of the milk comes from Swiss cows, which gives us the unique perspective of having a high-quality milk that our great cheesemakers can make very unique products and special products."

Voegeli's 169-year-old farm is one of the 11 that are part of the Co-op. He's also the one who floated the idea of opening a retail store for their award-winning cheese. They already sold it out of the factory, but the retail store would be a new opportunity. 

"Bryan brought the idea to us, we were looking for an opportunity to showcase our cheese," said Mike Hlubek, the general manager of the Co-op. "[He] became aware of a location in New Glarus. That gave us this opportunity to show World Championship cheese, state award cheese and new cheeses that we're developing all the time."

Last year, Chalet Cheese Co-op won the World Championship of Cheese Contest for its baby Swiss cheese. The Co-op also won on the state level for its Swiss cheese.

"The guys and gals there are doing a wonderful job producing cheese," said Hlubek. "It's more fun because we're producing world championship cheese and we're doing it all the time."

It's a way of life for these dairy producers, who continue to carry on the tradition through the generations.

"We're still doing it the old-world way that we've done it for years and years," said Voegeli.

You can visit the Chalet Cheese Haus store at 554 1st Street in New Glarus. It's open seven days a week. Everything in the store is locally made, so you'll not only find the Co-op's cheese, but also a wide variety of products from other local producers. 

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Sara Maslar-Donar joined the 27 News team in June 2019 as a reporter. These days, she anchors and produces 27 News at 5 p.m. each weekday. She is also the host of Capital City Sunday, a weekly political show. Previously, she spent four years as a reporter and anchor for the ABC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri.

Sara got her undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri and is one of the proudest Tigers you’ll ever meet (MIZ!) She received numerous awards from the Missouri Broadcaster’s Association for her business and economic development reporting, as well as awards from the Missouri Bar Association for legal journalism.

When she’s not holding state and local officials accountable, she’s most likely relaxing at home with a craft beer and watching a true crime documentary. She’s thrilled to be able to continue her time exploring all that Southern Wisconsin has to offer. 

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