Meet Your Makers: Andy Hatch of Uplands Dairy

Andy Hatch is the Uplands Dairy cheesemaker and general manager. After studying Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and spending two years apprenticing to cheesemakers in different parts of Europe, Andy returned to Wisconsin and served apprenticeships under Master Cheesemakers Bruce Workman and Gary Grossen.
In 2007, Andy earned his Wisconsin Cheesemaker's License and joined Uplands as an assistant cheesemaker to Mike Gingrich and Joe Milinovich. In 2008, he took over responsibility for the production and aging of cheese and has come to manage all of the creamery's operations. When calling Uplands, you will most often speak to Andy or his wife, Caitlin, who packages and ships the cheeses.

How many people are on the Uplands team?
Between the dairy farm and the creamery, there are about a dozen of us working together. Most people are part-time but everyone is essential to what we do – there are no unskilled jobs here.

How often do you come out with new products?
We made only one cheese, Pleasant Ridge Reserve, for ten years, and in 2010 came out with our second cheese, Rush Creek Reserve. We’re always working on something new, but I expect Rush Creek will take years to perfect and we’re not anxious to do too much too fast, at the expense of quality.

How did you get into this “line of business”?
I wanted to milk cows and needed to add value to the raw milk. At this point, though, after having fallen in love with cheese making, the tail is definitely wagging the dog.

What did you do before working with Uplands?
I was a student in Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin, and spent several years apprenticing to other cheese makers in Wisconsin and in Norway, Ireland, England and Italy.

Are your cheeses sold anywhere besides Chicago?
We sell cheese all over the US plus, in small amounts, in Europe, Australia and a few Asian countries.

What did you want to do as a kid, "when you grew up"?
Professional soccer player.

What was the spark that led you to working with food?
A love of working with land and animals, and a childhood love of wine, inherited from my father.

What is your favorite part of this job?
Diversity – my day is filled with all sorts of different tasks (making cheese, aging cheese, marketing and selling, managing employees, dealing with pastures and animals, etc.) and because we’re seasonal (we only milk our cows and make cheese spring through fall) there is a rhythm to our calendar that keeps life fresh.