In Deer Creek, the Fawn frolics with the MoonRabbit as the Blue Jay and Luna Moth flit overhead and the feisty Rattlesnake slithers underfoot. The animals commune with nature and one another, weaving fables of the Wisconsin wilderness.
Deer Creek is not a real place, but it’s real Wisconsin.
With tales told not in words but in flavorful cheeses, Deer Creek aims to tell the story of the Dairy State, its cheesemaking legacy and its precious natural resources. “It’s a mystical state of mind,” explains Brand Manager Sophie Gentine, who has worked alongside her father, Chris Gentine, since 2006 to create the award‑winning brand inspired by a beloved family storybook.
Chris loved Patricia Scarry’s “The Golden Story Book of River Bend” as a child and grew up with a desire to read it to his daughter. The book imparts life lessons and respect for nature through adorable animal characters.
Sophie was an art‑loving 14‑year‑old when her father first approached her about illustrating a cheese label inspired by their shared love of “River Bend” — in fact, she giddily accepted payment in the form of a brand‑new Coach handbag for creating “The Fawn,” she recalls. The rest is history. Today Deer Creek sells 20 different cheeses, 14 of which are named for wildlife illustrated in‑house by the junior Gentine, who has officially been in her role with the company for five years.
It’s an all‑around artistic mindset and commitment to a cleaner planet that has brought the brand to life, Sophie says.
“We really try to champion the state in all we do,” she says. “We’re a ‘1% for the Planet’ company, so whether we make money or not we’re donating to environmental nonprofits, most of which are based in the state.”
Over the last two decades, Deer Creek has developed a reputation not just for its delightful whimsy but for its impeccable quality. At this year’s World Champion Cheese Contest in Madison, Deer Creek took home three best‑in‑class awards, including for its Imperial Buck (traditional waxed cheddar), Rattlesnake (pepper flavored, high heat) and Carawaybou (hard cheese, flavored). In the last 15 years alone, Sophie says Deer Creek has won more than 200 awards.
Deer Creek’s first award‑winner was its Vat 17 World Cheddar, named such because it draws inspiration from across the global cheddar market, which remains the brand’s most popular item today. While Deer Creek also produces colby and blue cheeses, Sophie says, its roots are most definitely in cheddar and the business is small by design. Deer Creek isn’t a cheese manufacturer; it partners with world‑renown Wisconsin cheddar makers including Henning’s and Carr Valley on production. Recipes are primarily developed by Sophie’s parents: Chris and his wife, Julie.
“It’s a really small company,” Sophie says. “It’s me and my parents and two other people. We’re never expecting to become, like, this huge, huge company. We like where we’re at.”
And while developing the domestic Deer Creek brand is the Gentines’ main focus today, their company actually started with exporting. The Artisan Cheese Exchange, which still exists as Deer Creek’s sister company, was originally created in Sheboygan County to export handmade, small‑batch American cheddars for the Japanese market, Sophie says, and Deer Creek was spun off from there.
Deer Creek’s newest cheese is The Swan, which is half sheep’s milk cheddar and half peppercorn cow’s milk cheddar. It launched as an exclusive with Whole Foods but now is available through other retailers — mostly specialty cheese shops, but also many Kroger locations.
Sophie says horizontal growth is the goal for Deer Creek moving forward, as she wants to continue to develop the personality of the brand and work with small cheese shops that love and understand Deer Creek’s vision.
“The storybook was an original inspiration, but we’re just continuously evolving,” she says. “Cheesemongers and specialty retailers really champion us — people who really love food and a great story.”
On the web: deercreekcheese.com
