Our Story: Four Generations of Renard’s Cheese
Since 1961, Renard’s Cheese has been handcrafting Wisconsin artisan cheese, perfecting the art and science of cheesemaking and passing down the knowledge from generation to generation. Our rich history enables us to continue producing the highest quality cheese in the heart of America’s Dairyland.
Our story begins with Howard Renard, who started helping his father, a farmer and milk hauler, at just 13 years old. Howard would ride alongside his father when he drove his milk routes for Fontaine’s Cheese Factory. While he was still a teenager, Howard began learning the trade of cheesemaking at Fontaine’s and worked at other Door County dairies making cheese for about 20 years. He learned the process of producing Colby and deepened his expertise in his specialty, Cheddar.
1961
The Humble Beginning. In 1961, the cramped quarters of Rosewood Dairy became the first home for Renard’s Cheese and the family that built it.
In 1961, he and his wife, Angela Bouche, purchased Rosewood Dairy, a small cheese plant in Algoma, Wisconsin. At the time, the operation was modest, producing raw milk cheese in two small vats within cramped quarters that also served as a living space for Howard, Angela, and their seven children.
Rosewood Dairy’s two vats held about 10,000 pounds of milk each, producing 1,600 pounds of cheese per day. The milk came from about 50 local farms and was hauled to the factory by either the farmers or Howard’s young boys.
In 1966, Gary Renard, one of Howard’s sons, purchased Cloverleaf Cheese Factory on County DK—when he still had three weeks of high school left! After graduating, Gary ran the dairy factory, producing the same specialty cheese as his father Howard.
Nearly ten years later, in 1975, Gary and his wife Bonnie turned Cloverleaf Dairy into a retail store. In the year following, his father Howard built a store next to Rosewood Dairy. This allowed travelers on their way to Door County from both main highways to enjoy Renard’s artisan cheese. Soon, visitors craved the diverse range of artisanal cheeses, and the fresh cheese curds became well known and popular among tourists.
1995
Full Circle. In 1995, Chris Renard returned to the factory, working side-by-side with his father, Gary, and grandfather, Howard, marking three generations of active cheesemakers.
Chris Renard, Gary’s son and the current owner of Renard’s Cheese, was schooled in cheesemaking from the time he could tie his shoes. At just four years old, he was introduced to making cheese by washing milk cans, and he often jokes that an empty milk vat was his play pen! After graduating from college and working as a buyer for a grocery distributor, he returned to the family business in 1995 making cheese with his father and grandfather.
Chris had a lot of fresh ideas that he wanted to bring to the factory. He saw the potential of String Cheese, which hadn’t been produced before, and despite the roadblocks and obstacles along the way, he perfected the manufacturing and crafting techniques. Today, String Cheese is one of our award-winning and most popular cheeses!
2010
A New Era of Leadership. Chris and Ann Renard acquire the business, committing to honor the family's six-decade legacy while driving innovation in Wisconsin cheesemaking.
In 2014, Chris obtained his Master Cheesemakers certifications in Cheddar and Mozzarella, a prestigious title awarded to only the most dedicated and knowledgeable cheesemakers in Wisconsin. Under his guidance, our selections of cheese have expanded beyond standard commodity cheeses, offering Cheddar, Colby, Farmers, Havarti, Muenster, Brick, Butterkäse, Marble, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, String, and over 50 flavor-infused specialty cheeses.
2022
Passing the Torch to the Fourth Generation. Sam Renard joins the team as the factory begins Phase 1 of its expansion, ensuring the family craft continues to grow and thrive for decades to come.
Today, we produce approximately 3 million pounds of cheese a year, using 30 million pounds of milk—that’s nearly 2,000 times the production of cheese from the beginning! But we’re not stopping there—within the next few years, we plan to expand our factory, which will allow for another 400% production increase.
While many things have changed through generations, the Renard’s recipe and tradition remain the same. This precise cheesemaking art has allowed the Renard family to produce award-winning cheese that we’re proud to put our name on, and is widely beloved not just by Door County, but around the world.
