Seafood & Gourmet Products

Dodgeville, Wisconsin

Upland’s signature cheese, Pleasant Ridge Reserve, is made only from raw grass-fed cow’s milk. Uplands’ dairy cows represent many breeds; cheesemaker Andy Hatch believes that starting with more complexities in the milk due to breed variation leads to more complexity in the finished cheese. Southwest Wisconsin’s limestone-rich terroir provides some of the world’s best grass, and in order to fully express that terroir, Pleasant Ridge is made only during the spring and summer when animals are on pasture, and the team determines each day whether the grass quality is right to make cheese.

Each wheel of Pleasant Ridge is hand washed and turned once a day for the first two weeks, and then washed and turned regularly after that. One wheel of every batch is set aside for testing, so that each cheese is sold close to the peak of its flavor and maturity. The finest wheels are selected for extra aging.