Uplands Cheese Co.

Michael Gingrich is co-owner and cheesemaker of Uplands Cheese Co. He founded Uplands Cheese Co. in 2000 to manufacture and distribute Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an award-winning farmstead cheese made in the tradition of mountain cheeses from the alpine regions of France. The aging techniques used were originally developed in the Middle Ages when cheeses similar to Pleasant Ridge Reserve were aged in limestone caves and washed frequently with a brine solution. Washing the rind keeps it free of unwanted microbes and produces a variety of pleasing flavors. Because of the time-consuming hand work involved this practice is rarely used today.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve has received numerous prestigious awards. Most notably, Best of Show at the 2005 American Cheese Society conference, an accolade it won for the second time, having been awarded Best of Show in 2001 as well. Additionally, Pleasant Ridge Reserve was named U.S. Champion at the 2003 U.S Championship cheese contest. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the only cheese to ever win both national competitions. Most recently Pleasant Ridge Reserve was awarded the 2007 Gallo Gold Medal Award for Best Artisanal Dairy Product.

Upland's Cheese Company, Dodgeville, Wisconsin
www.uplandscheese.com