Published: November 01, 2009 01:00 pm      

Remodeling, new ownership for Deutsch Kase Haus

MIDDLEBURY — In the market for world-class cheese? Middlebury’s Deutsch Kase Haus has you covered.

Translated into English as “German Cheese House,” Deutsch Kase Haus is located at 11275 W. 250 North, Middlebury, just over the border into LaGrange County.

“We’re Indiana’s largest cheese factory,” said Dick Bylsma, director of sales for Deutsch Kase Haus. “Then again, there are only three of us in the state.”

All joking aside, Bylsma takes great pride in the small company, which recently came under new ownership by Ohio-based cheese company Guggisberg Cheese.

“Deutsch Kase Haus was started in 1979 by a group of local businessmen including Ralph Bontrager, a local Amishman, Lloyd Bontrager, founder of Jayco RV, Al Yoder, past president of Jayco, and Larry Shrock, a past employee of Jayco,” Bylsma said. “After Lloyd was killed in a plane crash in 1985 and Ralph retired in 1997, the two remaining owners decided to sell the company in 2002 because it was getting more and more difficult for a cheese manufacturer to be out here on its own.”

The company was eventually purchased by Canadian firm Agropur, Canada’s largest dairy farm co-op owned by more than 4,000 French-Canadian dairy farmers.

“However, following a series of changes in personnel at Agropur, it became apparent that we just didn’t fit into their system anymore, so they decided to sell Deutsch Kase in 2008,” Bylsma said. “Richard Guggisberg of Guggisberg Cheese had toured our plant several years ago, and during the visit he made a comment to me that if the plant ever came up for sale, he’d be very interested in purchasing it.

“So after Agropur decided to sell, we connected the two dots, and he bought the company in January of this year. And I’m happy to say, it’s a much better fit.”

According to Bylsma, the company employs approximately 50 people, 50 to 60 percent of whom are members of the Amish community.

“We specialize in making what’s called longhorns and delihorns of cheese, which are the shapes of the cheese,” Bylsma said. “Longhorns are cylinders of cheese that are 6 inches in diameter and 13 inches long, whereas delihorns are cylinders of cheese that are 4 inches in diameter and 13 inches long.

“Both products are designed to sell in service delis, and are designed to be sliceable,” he said.

As for the company’s specialty, Bylsma said it’s all about the Colby.

“The majority of the cheese we make here is called Colby, and the next most popular product is our Colby-Jack, which is a mixture of Colby and Monetary Jack,” Bylsma said. “We also make Pepper Jack, which is increasing in popularity, and a bunch of other different flavors.”

So what’s so special about Deutsch Kase Haus cheese?

“Interestingly, we have received nine different national and international awards for our cheese over the years,” Bylsma said. “In 2000, we won the World Cheesemakers competition for our category of Colby cheese, and in 2003 we won the U.S. Cheesemakers competition for our category.

“Then of course there’s the other seven times we’ve placed in the top three, so I like to say that’s not bad for a bunch of farm boys smoking cheese in Indiana,” he said.

While the cheese-making process at Deutsch Kase Haus has remained pretty much the same since its founding in 1979, Bylsma noted that the company’s recent purchase by Guggisberg has resulted in some major upgrades and remodeling at the Middlebury facility.

“Mr. Guggisberg is investing tons and tons of money into this company, which is good news for our local community,” Bylsma said. “We’ve completely remodeled the store, added a bunch of new Amish products and treats, and we’re adding another production line that will go on line in another couple weeks.

“We’ve also remodeled the outside of the building to make it more aesthetic, so those of us who work here are extremely positive about the changes being made and the way the company is being run,” he said.

Bylsma said visitors to the Middlebury facility will not only be able to sample the company’s many award-winning cheeses, but watch them being made through the windows of the factory.

“You can’t actually go into the factory itself because it has the same sterilization requirements as a surgery room, but you can watch through the windows,” Bylsma said. “The best time to watch the cheese-making is in the mornings because we are typically done by around noon or 1 p.m., so we definitely encourage people to come in early and check us out.”

Store hours for the Middlebury facility are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.