Crave Brothers Farm in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Crave Brothers Farm is a Holstein dairy near Waterloo in Dodge County, Wisconsin, run by four brothers who turned a 1978 partnership into one of the best known farmstead cheese businesses in the Midwest. The operation milks about 2,100 cows, runs its own cheese factory and manure digester, and has collected a long list of cheese-contest wins plus recognition as a Wisconsin Family Business of the Year.
| Location | Waterloo, Dodge County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 as a partnership; Crave Brothers Farm LLC by 1995 |
| Sectors | dairy; farmstead cheese; corn, soybeans and alfalfa for feed; renewable energy |
| Scale | About 2,100 milking cows plus 1,300 heifers and calves; about 3,000 acres, of which 1,800 owned and 1,200 rented (Farm Progress) |
| Why it is elite | Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Grand Award (2017); named 2020 Master Agriculturists; repeated national and state cheese awards; Farm Technology Days host in 2009 |
| Ownership | Family owned by brothers Charles, George, Tom and Mark Crave, with the next generation involved |
| Official website | Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese official site |
History of Crave Brothers Farm
Charlie and George Crave began farming in 1978 in partnership with David Wieckert, who was later bought out. Tom joined the business in 1981 and Mark in 1988, and by 1995 the partnership had become Crave Brothers Farm LLC. The brothers grew the herd step by step while keeping the farm in the family.
The farm moved beyond selling milk when it built its own cheese factory in 2001. Farm Progress reports that the plant covers 45,000 square feet and can produce up to 100,000 pounds of cheese a week. In 2007 the brothers installed an anaerobic digester that turns manure into energy, and in 2009 the farm hosted Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, which drew more than 50,000 visitors according to coverage of its family business award.
What Crave Brothers Farm Grows and Raises
The herd is Holstein cows, with roughly 2,100 in the milking string and about 1,300 heifers and calves, according to Farm Progress. The family grows soybeans, corn and alfalfa for feed. Company releases describe about 2,500 acres of farmland in south-central Wisconsin, while Farm Progress counts about 3,000 acres including rented ground, so the exact figure depends on the source and year.
Milk from the farm goes to Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, which makes fresh mozzarella, mascarpone, part-skim mozzarella, Oaxaca, Farmer's Rope string cheese and fresh cheddar curds. The digester powers the farm and the cheese plant, and Farm Progress says it also supplies enough energy for about 300 homes. The company describes its operations as using 100 percent green power, with water recovery and recycling built into the plant.
How Crave Brothers Farm Makes Money
Farmstead cheese sales
The cheese factory turns the farm's own milk into branded products sold through retail and foodservice channels and an online store. Selling finished cheese rather than raw milk lets the family capture more of the value chain, and contest wins at the Wisconsin State Fair, World Dairy Expo, the American Cheese Society and the US Championship Cheese Contest give the brand credibility with buyers.
Milk and herd genetics
Even with a cheese plant, the dairy remains the base of the business. The family milks Holsteins on its own feed base of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, which keeps input costs tied to land the family controls.
Renewable energy
The on-farm digester, installed in 2007, converts manure into electricity. The energy runs the farm and cheese plant, and Farm Progress reports it also covers about 300 additional homes, which turns a waste stream into a utility-style output.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Crave Brothers Farm
The Craves show how a commodity dairy can add a processing step without leaving the farm. Owning the cheese plant means the milk price stops being the only lever, and award medals double as free marketing in a crowded cheese state.
They also show the value of treating waste as an asset and visibility as strategy. The digester cuts energy bills and builds a sustainability story, while hosting Farm Technology Days and winning family business honors keeps the brand in front of buyers, lenders and neighbors.
Few farms can say their curds have outscored half the state fair, and the brothers behind Waterloo's best known mozzarella have the ribbons to prove it. At farm.FM we file this kind of thing under farm satire and farm humor, because a family that makes mascarpone from its own Holsteins deserves at least one ranch humor line about cheese-based sibling rivalry. Our farm jokes will never top a blue ribbon, but we will keep trying.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Crave Brothers Farm
Website: https://www.cravecheese.com
Contact details as published on the operation's own website, November 2026. Visit the official site for the online store, recipes and current contact options; confirm any visit or order details before traveling.
Crave Brothers Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Crave Brothers official site - Cheese products, recipes and the online store
- Farm Progress profile - Herd size, acres, cheese plant and digester details
- Family Business of the Year coverage - Grand Award and 2009 Farm Technology Days hosting
- Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin annual report - Producer association reporting on Wisconsin dairy
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm and dairy statistics
Crave Brothers Farm FAQ
Where is Crave Brothers Farm?
It is near Waterloo in Dodge County, south-central Wisconsin.
How many cows does Crave Brothers Farm milk?
Farm Progress reports about 2,100 milking cows plus 1,300 heifers and calves.
What does Crave Brothers make?
The farmstead cheese company makes fresh mozzarella, mascarpone, part-skim mozzarella, Oaxaca, Farmer's Rope string cheese and fresh cheddar curds.
How can I contact Crave Brothers?
Use the contact options on the official site at cravecheese.com, where the online store and recipes are also listed.
Crave Brothers Farm shows how a Wisconsin family can add cheese, energy and brand-building to a dairy without losing the farm. For the wider picture of crops, dairy and markets, read the Wisconsin farms guide and the other operations profiled with it.