Some places in the world are simply legendary for what they do. In Wisconsin, it’s world-class cheese. In Kentucky, it’s the Derby. This year, these two icons collide in an unforgettable way as Wisconsin Cheese proudly partners with the Kentucky Derby to celebrate craftsmanship, tradition, and incredible flavor.
“What the Derby is to Kentucky, cheese is to Wisconsin," says Mike Edge, Senior Regional Marketing Director at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW). “Cheese is a huge part of Wisconsin’s history and culture. We’ve been making cheese since before we were even a state—for over 180 years! We have the ideal terroir for dairy farmers to produce the highest quality milk. And high-quality milk makes the best cheese.”
DFW is bringing the flavor to Churchill Downs with an onsite Wisconsin cheese experience: The Wisconsin Cheese Rinds & Roses Clubhouse. The Clubhouse taps into the Kentucky Derby’s celebration of premium food and drink, inviting guests to savor the flavors of Wisconsin with a curated bite featuring Wisconsin Cheese—a delicious nod to the iconic Kentucky Hot Brown from the historic Brown Hotel.
“In conjunction with our onsite Derby experience, DFW is excited to work with Kroger/Murray’s, another Kentucky Derby partner, to showcase Wisconsin cheese. This exciting partnership began at the ‘Taste of Derby’ event at Slugger Field on Tuesday, April 15, where Wisconsin cheese was sampled and displayed on our large custom Proudly Wisconsin Cheese cheeseboard for hundreds of attendees,” Mike tells me.
This event is an annual tradition for the community and helps support the “Dare to C.A.R.E” Program for cardiovascular health. Further, Kroger/Murray’s and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin will be highlighting 15 stores in the Louisville, KY, area to execute in-store demos that are taking place April 30, May 1, and May 2, featuring three signature bites made with Wisconsin cheeses. Recipe cards will be provided so shoppers can get everything they need at Kroger to build their Wisconsin Cheese boards and elevate their upcoming Derby parties.
“When DFW supports our retail partners with demo flights at their stores during high traffic and/or event time periods, they see a 40 percent lift on average for the items being sampled,” Mike adds. “Demo areas will have specific Proudly Wisconsin Cheese/Kentucky Derby point of sale materials along with cheese ID cards and recipes. Bib tags in the case will direct shoppers to each Wisconsin cheese, then shoppers can look for our Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge to know it’s a quality cheese from Wisconsin.”
Mike continues, stating, “Events like the iconic Kentucky Derby allow Wisconsin to partner with retailers to help their specialty cheese department be successful and create an elevated destination for customers. Our shopper research shows that a high-quality specialty cheese section drives high quality perceptions of the entire store overall. We offer a library of shopper marketing content and assets designed to engage with storytelling, inspiration and education to help the shopper discover their next favorite Wisconsin cheese.”
DFW is the non-profit promoter for Wisconsin dairy funded by Wisconsin’s dairy farmers. Because 90 percent of Wisconsin milk is made into cheese, the organization focuses on promoting Wisconsin cheese across the country and globally. In fact, Wisconsin cheese can be found in 99 percent of grocery stores across the country by DFW working together with over 125 retailers annually. Wisconsin crafts half of the nation’s specialty cheese and is the only state that requires its cheesemakers to be licensed to craft cheese. If Wisconsin were a country, it would be the fourth-largest cheese producer in the world.
For more insights on Wisconsin cheese, stay tuned for my next article with DFW where we explore the impact of WI dairy at retail.
