Mayor Robert Stocks recently visited Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese as part of the ongoing Industry & Innovation Tours, highlighting one of Watertown’s longtime family businesses and the people, products and entrepreneurial spirit behind its continued growth.
Located on North Fourth Street, Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese traces its roots in Watertown back nearly a century. What began in 1929 as a small dairy operation founded by Tony Kraemer evolved over generations into a specialty cheese business known throughout Wisconsin and beyond. Tony’s son, Jim, joined the business in 1949 and learned the family trade from the ground up—including delivering milk to customers’ homes.
In the early 1970s, Jim and his wife, Joanne, transformed the family homestead into the Kraemer Dairy Store, beginning the next chapter of the family business. Today, the business remains at its original Watertown location and has grown into a nationally recognized specialty cheese retailer and producer. The family sells and ships hundreds of thousands of pounds of cheese and cheese products each year.
“What struck me during this visit was how much of Kraemer’s success comes down to family, quality and a willingness to evolve,” said Mayor Robert Stocks. “This is a business that started with delivering milk in glass bottles to people’s homes and has grown into a business shipping Wisconsin cheese around the country while remaining firmly rooted in Watertown. That is a pretty remarkable story.”
Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese has also expanded its reach beyond Wisconsin. The family opened a second location in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, after spending time in the area and discovering a strong connection between the community and Wisconsin cheese. The family’s Wisconsin customers who had relocated or vacationed in Arkansas helped demonstrate the opportunity for a second location.
The Arkansas location has become another example of the family’s entrepreneurial approach. During a recent visit to Arkansas, Kraemer co-owner Megan Karl sold 425 grilled cheese sandwiches in just four hours on a Sunday morning, demonstrating the enthusiasm customers have for the Kraemer brand and its products.
The Arkansas connection was particularly meaningful for Mayor Stocks. On a recent trip to visit his son, who is serving in the military at a base in the San Antonio area, the Mayor stopped in Hot Springs and visited the Kraemer location there.
“It was amazing to see how a Watertown family business has taken something that started right here and built a following hundreds of miles away,” Stocks reflected.
Today, Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese employs approximately 26 people at its Watertown location and nine people in Hot Springs Village, with three family owners continuing to guide the business.
During the visit, Stocks met with the Kraemer family to discuss the company's history, changes in the business over the years and plans for another expansion in approximately five to 10 years. The conversation also focused on the company's commitment to quality and the importance of maintaining the family character of the business as it grows.
That commitment to quality is reflected in the company's customer base. Approximately 20 percent of the company's sales come from corporate holiday gift packages, giving businesses and organizations across the country an opportunity to share Wisconsin-made products with their customers, employees and partners.
Stocks also got a behind-the-scenes look at the operation, including the packaging process, and had the opportunity to sample cheese aged for 21 years.
But the visit also highlighted another important part of the Kraemer story: giving back to the community.
Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese has developed a longstanding relationship with Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, including its annual Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese Make-A-Wish golf outing in Watertown. The event raises funds to help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses.
“The thing that really stands out is that their definition of success goes beyond selling cheese,” Stocks said. “They take tremendous pride in their product, but they also take tremendous pride in their community. Their commitment to Make-A-Wish and other community causes is part of what makes this such a special Watertown business.”
Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese's story reflects the type of business development Mayor Stocks hopes to highlight through the Industry & Innovation Tour: companies that have deep roots in Watertown while continuing to adapt, innovate, invest and find new markets.
From a milk route serving Watertown families nearly 100 years ago to specialty cheese shipped across the country, a second location in Arkansas and plans for continued growth, Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese demonstrates how a family business can preserve its traditions while embracing the future.