Climate Change Interviews

Interview with George Crave, President of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese

February 28, 2022

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Today I am joined by George Crave is President of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, LLC. He oversees the plant management and cheese production. George is a licensed cheesemaker and has traveled to Italy, France and Switzerland to study cheesemaking and affinage.

George and his three brothers own Crave Brothers Dairy Farm along with three of the next generation. For over 20 years George was in charge of the dairy herd and milk quality at Crave Brothers Dairy Farm. In 2001 he began managing the building and development of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese. In 2002 the farmstead cheese factory was completed and the first cheese production began.

George is a 1978 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm & Industry Shortcourse. George served on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension & Teaching (CARET) for the UW-Madison College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. He is a founding member of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. George is a member of the Wisconsin Cheesemaker’s Association and the Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute. George and his brothers were recognized in 2008 as World Dairy Expo Dairymen of the Year and in 2010 by the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association as Advocates of the Year. They hosted the 2009 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, a three-day outdoor farm show with 80,000 attendees. In 2017 Crave Brothers Farm and Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese were selected as Wisconsin Family Business of the Year. In 2018 George was inducted into the Guilde Internationale Des Fromagers. George is a 4-H leader and member of Holy Family Catholic Church. He and his wife Debbie have three children – Patrick, Brian and Roseanne.

Crave Brothers were recognized in 2017 as the Wisconsin Family Business of the Year.