It guides everything we do. We believe in its power to foster good will among all, and we strive to prove it every day in our relationships with our customers, team members, and community.
Hi there! We're Eric Ludy and Gene Graf, co-founders of Cheese Brothers. We're two guys from Wisconsin with a passion for great cheese. You could say it's in our blood. Eric's great grandfather, a Swiss cheesemaker named Fred Ludy, started the families' first cheese factory in Wisconsin in 1919. Gene learned the trade from Tom Ludy, Eric's dad. We're not brothers by birth, but ever since we launched our company in 2015, we've been bonded by the brotherhood of cheese.
Our mission from the start has been to build a new type of cheese company: one that used Farmer's Markets and festivals to share cheese with people directly. With the onset in 2020 of Covid-19, our in-person markets ended, but we pivoted to become a 100% ecommerce cheese business. Turns out it was the best decision we ever made. We are proud and grateful to share our cheeses with people and families across the country.
Our cheese has been made the same way since Fred came here from Switzerland 100 years ago (though with a bit more fancy equipment). The milk comes in, cheese makers add the cultures, curd is formed, any seasonings are added, cheese is pressed into blocks and allowed to cure, usually for several months (or sometimes years for aged varieties). The cheese is then cut and wrapped, labeled, and shipped to your door.
We keep things simple: milk, salt, natural cultures--that’s it. None of our products are ever processed or artificial in any way. Just good, old fashioned Wisconsin cheese. Seasonings are always natural and simple, never artificial.
We hate robotic, impersonal customer service, so we aim to be its antithesis. We are here for any question you have and we love nothing more than a happy, satisfied customer! We never outsource customer service or take shortcuts here.
We value our relationships with each other just as much as our relationships with our customers. We think of our team members as our family, and all opportunities with us provide a living wage.
We pay it forward regularly by donating cheese and a portion of our proceeds to a variety of non-profit organizations. Complementary items in our gift boxes (jams, mustards, etc.) are always Wisconsin made by small businesses and artisans like us. Even the crackers!