Lord of the vat
Walt Brandli, a master cheesemaker for Babcock Dairy, scoops a handful of cottage cheese curds from a vat of coagulating milk in the dairy plant production rooom at Babcock Hall. A cheesemaker for 51 years, Brandli, who thinks there is a shortage of good cheese in the world, is doing his best to keep up with demand. (Photo: Michael Forster Rothbart)
These days, Brandli, UW–Madison’s most talented and experienced cheesemaker, only rarely gets the chance to taste Gouda, which also happens to be one of his most accomplished products.
“Every once in a while, I’ll sneak a sample, but I’m really not supposed to,” says Brandli. “I truly miss it. But that’s life. It’s an easy adjustment to make when it means you get to go on living.”
Cheese, as part of a balanced diet, is a good source of calcium and other nutrients. But after 2001 heart bypass surgery, Brandli’s doctors decided to play it safe and place him on a more heart-healthy diet. Not getting the chance to sample his favorites has been about the only downside to his current job as the first and only master cheesemaker at Babcock Dairy.
After his 51 years in the industry, the numerous varieties, as well the nearly endless methods of making and aging cheese, lift it above the comparative monotony of milk or ice cream.
“Even after being around cheese for all of these years, I’ve never stopped learning,” he says. “For me, it’s been a never-ending process.”
For the uninitiated, the basic principle involved in making cheese is to coagulate, or curdle, milk so that it forms into curds and whey. A bacterial culture helps speed the process. After the coagulation sets the curd, the curd is cut.
Cutting the curd allows whey to escape, while heating it increases the rate at which the curd contracts and squeezes out the whey. Once the curds have sufficiently hardened, salting and shaping begins.
The shaped cheese is allowed to ripen or age for various periods of time. During this time, bacteria continue to grow in the cheese and change its chemical composition, resulting in flavor and texture changes in the cheese. The type of bacteria and the length of time the cheese is aged help determine the type and quality of cheese being made.
Born in Monroe, the Swiss cheese capital of the United States, as the son of a Swiss-born cheesemaker, Brandli’s career path was pretty well defined early on. He served an apprenticeship and began his career at a Swiss cheese factory in Monroe.
In the 1963, he bought a dairy plant in Mauston, and later incorporated his own firm, the Brandli Cheese Co. But business woes caused him to close the plant and join Babcock in 1992.
“I took a short-course in cheesemaking here at Babcock in 1959,” he says. “I had no idea I’d ever end up coming back. To me, getting that chance was really the pinnacle of my career.”
Brandli’s arrival in Madison had an immediate impact on the dairy, says Bill Klein, Babcock Dairy manager. With Brandli’s expertise, the dairy increased production from five to 12 varieties, and sales began to rise.
“He’s just outstanding at making cheese,” Klein says. “That’s his thing in life. He’s almost too particular about it.”
In addition, Brandli’s methods have helped to build the quality and reputation of the Babcock cheeses, Klein says. “We haven’t really actively promoted our cheese, but people have taken notice of the quality, and they keep coming back,” he adds.
For an added challenge, Brandli sought “master” status in baby Swiss and Holland-style Gouda.
Developed by the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and UW-Extension, the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Program is the first advanced education program for cheesemakers in the United States. Following in the European tradition, “master” is achieved by taking a curriculum of advanced courses and is the highest honor a cheesemaker can receive.
Brandli received that distinction last year and plans to receive master status in Cheddar and brick cheeses before his retirement, tentatively planned for early 2004. He hopes to do consulting work and visit Switzerland.
Although the designation is an important honor for him and the dairy, Brandli says he gets his greatest satisfaction by getting feedback on his cheese from dairy customers in the campus community.
“People are always looking for good cheese, and personally, I think there’s a shortage of it,” he says.
Over the years, Brandli has passed on his knowledge, not only around the dairy, but also in his family. He and his wife have two sons and two daughters, and all four worked in the plant growing up. His sons became Wisconsin licensed cheesemakers before turning to other pursuits.
“In order to be a great cheesemaker, you have to have a passion for it,” he says. “If that’s missing, you can just forget it. I guess I’m kind of old-school about that.”