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Wisconsin Ag Connection - March 09, 2010
Want to be a Wisconsin artisan cheesemaker? A new organization is offering a $2,500 scholarship to help one aspiring cheesemaker earn his or her license and make farmstead, artisan or specialty cheeses.
Wisconsin Cheese Originals, a member-based organization dedicated to sharing information about Wisconsin original cheeses and the people who craft them, announces a new Wisconsin Licensed
Cheesemaker Scholarship Program. The annual scholarship aims to grow the state's artisan and specialty cheesemaking community, one new cheesemaker at a time.
Launched in 2009, Wisconsin Cheese Originals hosts educational seminars, tasting receptions, cheesemaking tours and sponsors the annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival, scheduled this year on
November 5-7 at the Monona Terrace in Madison.
Organization founder and director Jeanne Carpenter said the goal of the scholarship fund compliments the goal of the organization, which celebrates Wisconsin's original cheeses and helps connect consumers
to farmstead, artisan and specialty cheesemakers.
"In the last 10 years, Wisconsin has become home to more than 60 artisan and specialty cheesemakers, many of whom are choosing to start or move their operations to Wisconsin because of the dairy state's
reputation for quality, innovation and infrastructure," Carpenter said. "At the same time, I know there are men and women with the talent and drive to become an artisan cheesemaker, who lack the financial
backing and support to take the required university classes and obtain a cheesemaker license. This scholarship aims to address that gap and hopes to help one new Wisconsin artisan cheesemaker earn his or
her license every year."
Applicants must be a resident of the State of Wisconsin, a high school graduate as of June 15, 2010, and must demonstrate ambition to pursue and obtain a Wisconsin Cheesemaker License, a lengthy
process that can take as long as 18 months, requires the attendance at five university courses, as well as 240 hours of apprenticeship with an existing licensed Wisconsin cheesemaker.
To learn more or to receive an application, call 608-358-7837.
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