About Us
Rufus and Jane Musser, along with their son, head cheese maker Galen Musser, are the owners and operators of Milton Creamery in Milton, Iowa. Rufus first started the company after a couple of Amish farmers in the area suggested that he use their milk to make cheese. From day one their milk has come entirely from Amish family farms. Like all truly great cheese, clean wholesome milk is the start to the good taste of Milton Creamery products.
Galen has been at the helm of production since he was only 16 years old. Using milk from nearby Amish farms, Galen expertly produces cheese such as Prairie Breeze — a dry, nutty cheddar-type cheese that has won several awards. The first award was Best of Class in the Open Category at the US Championship Cheese contest in 2009 in Wisconsin when he was just 17. Later that same year, Prairie Breeze took first place in the cheddar class at the American Cheese Society. In 2010 it received a gold in the World Cheese Contest held in London. There were 5 Gold Medals awarded in the 9-12 month cheddar class, with Prairie Breeze being the only American winner.
Producing the milk is still very much a matter of hard work as all the cows are hand-milked twice every day. The traditional farming practices of the Amish mean their cows live in a healthy, low-stress environment. The animals are never given any artificial growth hormones like, RBGH or RBST. They also are given antibiotics only minimally, as needed for sickness and not as a matter of course. The Amish pasture-graze their cows for as much of the year as possible and are fed stored feed in the winter. The crops are planted and harvested using horses and hand labor.
The tradition of cheese making uses techniques that have been passed down over many generations. Ultimately, the Creamery’s line-up of traditional, natural cheeses represents a truly wonderful merging of old world and new. You can taste the simplicity and the hard work in every bite.
