Andy Montoya
Colby cheese, a semi-hard orange cheese made from cow's milk, was first developed in 1885 in the city of Colby, Wisconsin, USA. It was created by Joseph F. Steinwand, who named it after the township where his father, Ambrose Steinwand Sr., had built the first cheese factory in Clark County three years prior. Today, it is considered one of the first truly American cheeses, as it was developed by an American in the United States and was not based on European cheeses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name origin | Named after the city of Colby, Wisconsin, USA |
| Invented in | Wisconsin, USA |
| Invented by | Joseph F. Steinwand |
| Year invented | 1885 |
| Cheese type | Semi-hard |
| Colour | Orange |
| Texture | Moist and soft |
| Taste | Mild |
| Aging period | 4-6 weeks |
| Annual festival | "Colby Cheese Days" |
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What You'll Learn
Joseph F. Steinwand invented Colby cheese in 1885
In 1885, Joseph F. Steinwand invented Colby cheese in the township of Colby, Wisconsin. Steinwand's father, Ambrose Steinwand, Sr., had built the first cheese factory in Clark County three years earlier, in 1882. Their small, wooden factory produced 125 pounds of cheese per day. Joseph, who began assisting his father at the factory at age 16, quickly learned the cheese-making process.
Joseph Steinwand's innovation was to eliminate the cheddaring process used in making cheddar cheese. Instead, he partially drained the whey after the curd was cooked and added cold water to decrease the mixture's temperature, resulting in a moister and softer cheese. This process also washed the milk sugar (lactose) from the curd, preventing the acidity in the curd from rising and giving the cheese a sweeter flavor.
Colby cheese quickly became popular and is considered one of the first truly American cheeses, as it was developed by an American in the United States and was not intended to be an imitation of a European cheese. Today, it is often used in snacks, sandwiches, and salads.
The city of Colby has embraced its connection to the cheese, organizing an annual festival called "Colby Cheese Days" to promote it. In 1965, a new Colby Cheese Factory was built on the site of the Steinwands' original factory, producing about 4,000 pounds of Colby per day until it shut down in 1983. Several proposals have been put forth to make Colby the official state cheese of Wisconsin.
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Named after the township of Colby, Wisconsin
The cheese was named after the township of Colby, Wisconsin, USA, where it was first developed in 1885 and quickly became popular. The city of Colby considers the cheese an important part of its history and organises an annual festival to promote Colby cheese.
Colby cheese was invented in Wisconsin by Joseph F. Steinwand in 1885. It was named for the township in which his father, Ambrose Steinwand, Sr., had built the first cheese factory in Clark County three years before. Ambrose and Susan Steinwand and their children moved to Colby in 1875. They bought a quarter-section of railroad land in Colby township and in 1882 built a cheese factory, a small wood building that produced 125 pounds of cheese a day. Their eldest son, Joseph, assisted his father in the factory from the age of 16, quickly learning the cheese-making process.
Over 100 years ago, Ambrose Steinwand opened a new cheese factory one mile south and one mile west of Colby. The event of a new cheese factory was not unusual, as it was built in a strong dairy area. However, this factory stood apart from the others due to the development of a dairy product that became the only natural cheese native to the United States.
In 1885, Joseph Steinwand, Ambrose's son, created a cheese concept that would become known as Colby Cheese, thus establishing the city in history. Ambrose and Joseph Steinwand made their cheese in basically the same manner as cheesemakers do today: they separated the solid portion of milk, called curd, which became the cheese, from the liquid portion of the milk, called whey. To start the cheesemaking process, the milk was first warmed, and a substance called rennet was added to the warmed milk. This caused the solids, or curds, to separate from the whey by coagulation. This custard-like mixture was cut into small pieces, allowing the curd to separate from the whey. The mixture was heated to firm the curd, and then the whey was drained away. It was at this point that Joseph departed from the procedure of making cheddar cheese to give this new cheese a high moisture content that makes Colby cheese unique.
In 1965, Lawrence Hoernke built a new Colby Cheese Factory on the site of the Steinwands' original factory. It produced about 4,000 pounds of Colby a day until it shut down in 1983. Several proposals have been put forth to make Colby the official state cheese of Wisconsin. In 1998, the city of Colby adopted a resolution supporting the measure, and the Wisconsin State Assembly voted 81–15 in favour. However, the bill was never voted on by the Senate. A similar measure was introduced in 2019 but did not receive a vote in either the Assembly or the Senate.
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The cheese was developed in Steinwand's father's factory
In 1875, Ambrose Steinwand, along with his wife Susan Steinwand and their children, moved to Colby, Wisconsin. In 1882, they built a cheese factory—a small wooden building that produced 125 pounds of cheese per day—on a piece of railroad land they had purchased.
Ambrose's son, Joseph F. Steinwand, began assisting his father in the factory from the age of 16, quickly learning the art of cheesemaking. In 1885, Joseph developed a new type of cheese that was milder and moister than cheddar. He did this by eliminating the cheddaring process and, instead, partially draining the whey after the curd was cooked and adding cold water to decrease the mixture's temperature. This resulted in a moister and softer cheese.
Joseph named the cheese Colby, after the township where his father had built the factory. Today, Colby is considered one of the first truly American cheeses as it was developed by an American in the United States and was not intended to be an imitation of a European cheese.
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Colby is considered to be one of the first truly American cheeses
Colby cheese was invented in Wisconsin by Joseph F. Steinwand in 1885. It was named after the township of Colby, where Steinwand's father, Ambrose Steinwand, had built the first cheese factory in Clark County three years earlier. The cheese was developed by eliminating the cheddaring process used in making cheddar cheese. Instead, Joseph Steinwand partially drained the whey after the curd was cooked and added cold water to decrease the mixture's temperature, resulting in a moister and softer cheese.
Colby cheese has a higher moisture content than cheddar and feels more elastic. It is also sweet rather than savoury and has a gentle, mild flavour with a slightly firm texture. It does not age well and tends to become cracked and dry, so it should be eaten as young as possible (4-6 weeks).
Today, Colby cheese is typically used in snacks, sandwiches, and salads. It is often combined with Monterey Jack to produce a marble cheese known as "Colby-Jack", which is more popular than either cheese sold individually.
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The city of Colby celebrates an annual Colby Cheese Days festival
The city of Colby, Wisconsin, USA, has a long and proud history of cheese production. The city was established after the government gave Mr Gardner Colby certain rights to the territory for the establishment of a railroad. Over a century ago, in 1885, Ambrose Steinwand opened a cheese factory one mile south and one mile west of Colby, in an area with a strong dairy presence. It was here that Ambrose's son, Joseph F. Steinwand, created a new type of cheese—a unique concept that would become known as Colby cheese.
The Steinwands made their cheese in much the same way as cheesemakers do today. They separated the curds from the whey, warming the milk and adding rennet to it. Joseph made some minor changes to the cheese-making process, which resulted in a milder and moister cheese than cheddar. The new cheese became almost instantly popular. It was named "Colby" after the township, and it is considered to be one of the first truly American cheeses.
Colby cheese is a semi-hard, orange cheese made from cow's milk. It is traditionally pressed into a cylindrical form called a longhorn and cured into an open texture with irregular holes. It has a higher moisture content than cheddar, a softer texture, and a sweeter, milder flavour.
To celebrate this important part of its history, the city of Colby organises an annual festival in July called "Colby Cheese Days". This festival has been held since 1965, the same year that a new Colby Cheese Factory was built on the site of the original factory by Lawrence Hoernke. The festival promotes Colby cheese, and there have been several proposals to make it the official state cheese of Wisconsin. The city of Colby adopted a resolution in support of this measure in 1998, and it was voted through by the Wisconsin State Assembly 81-15. However, the bill was never voted on by the Senate. A similar measure was introduced in 2019 but did not receive a vote.
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Frequently asked questions
Colby cheese was named after the city of Colby, Wisconsin, USA, where it was first developed in 1885.
Joseph F. Steinwand invented Colby cheese in 1885. He was the son of Ambrose Steinwand, who owned the cheese factory where the cheese was first made.
Colby is a semi-hard orange cheese made from cow's milk.
