Wisconsin Cheddar Fetches 'Milestone' Price

A 20-year-old batch is selling for $209 a pound
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 29, 2015 3:28 PM CDT
Wisconsin Cheddar Fetches 'Milestone' Price
Cheddar, though not the pricey variety in Wisconsin.   (Shutterstock)

A Wisconsin cheesemaker is debuting a 20-year-old cheddar that's short in supply and big on price. The cheddar from Hook's Cheese Co. of Mineral Point goes on sale today for $209 a pound. Most of the 450-pound supply is already spoken for, with orders coming in after the planned sale went public earlier this year, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. "It's like a milestone in the cheese industry," said Ken Monteleone, owner of an artisan cheese shop in Madison.

Although the price of the cheddar is steep, it's fair because its maker could've sold it long ago, according to cheese retailers and restaurant owners. "It's really saying something that he took care of this cheese for 20 years," says Steve Ehlers, co-owner of a market outside of Milwaukee. Only about of 20 pounds of the cheddar is unaccounted for, and that is likely to be gone by tomorrow. Owners Tony and Julie Hook are giving $40,000 from the sale to the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Meanwhile, a Swiss cheese mystery appears to have been cracked.)

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