The badge.

The Real Wisconsin Cheese Curd badge is an editorially-issued mark of recognition for cheese curd brands & makers whose operations meet our standards. It appears on the packaging & websites of recognized makers.

Not for sale. Not for paid placement. Not for marketing-driven assignment. The badge is granted exclusively on the basis of structural verification.

What it represents

What the badge means.

A bag of cheese curd carrying the Real Wisconsin Cheese Curd badge has been verified against six structural criteria. The milk came from Wisconsin farms. The curd was produced in Wisconsin. The curd is sold within seven days of production. The ingredient list contains four (or, for flavored varieties, five) recognized ingredients with no stabilizers or extenders. The make date is printed on the bag. The maker has been visited & verified.

None of these are marketing claims. All six are structural facts that a third party (us, the state of Wisconsin, a curious consumer) can verify independently. The badge condenses these six facts into a single visual mark a consumer can recognize.

The requirements

What we require.

A bag of cheese curd carrying the Real Wisconsin Cheese Curd badge has been verified against six structural criteria.

Wisconsin-based production.

Documentation showing the cheese curd is produced in a Wisconsin facility. Proof of operating address, production records, & physical location.

Production records.

Three recent production records showing the make date, batch size, & ingredient sourcing. One-time verification at application is sufficient.

Milk supply documentation.

Documentation showing that the milk supply originates from Wisconsin farms or Wisconsin-only co-op pools. Multi-state pooling disqualifies.

Sample packaging.

Physical samples of current packaging for the curd product to be recognized. Make date must be clearly printed. Ingredient list must conform to the four-ingredient pillar.

Operational visit.

We visit the production facility in person to verify the documentation against actual operations. The visit is unannounced or by short-notice scheduling. We pay our own travel costs.

Editorial approval.

After documentation review & operational visit, the maker is approved for recognition. Recognition is editorial & can be revoked if any of the six criteria stop being met.

What you receive

What recognized makers get.

Recognition under the Standard grants the following rights & inclusions, at no cost to the maker:

Permission to display the Real Wisconsin Cheese Curd badge on packaging, website, marketing materials, & trade show signage. The badge is provided in vector & raster formats with a brand usage guide.
Inclusion in the recommended brands list with a dedicated profile page on this site. The profile is editorially written based on our verification visit & the maker's submitted documentation.
Inclusion in our buying guides where the maker's product is editorially appropriate. We do not guarantee inclusion in any specific guide.
The right to challenge editorial decisions through our dispute-resolution process. Recognized makers can request review of editorial coverage or profile content.

Recognition is not for sale. There are no fees for application, no fees for inclusion, no annual dues, no advertising opportunities sold to recognized makers. The arrangement is editorial, not commercial.

Apply for recognition.

If you produce Wisconsin cheese curd that meets the six criteria, contact us. We respond to all applications within thirty days. The review process typically takes 60–90 days from application to approval.