April 12, 2013 — CHEESE MARKET NEWS® 13

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NEWS/BUSINESS

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Everett Henning marks 50th anniversary as owner of family-owned cheese businessKIEL, Wis. — Everett Henning, who cel-ebrated his 50th anniversary as owner of Henning’s Cheese Co. in February, has covered a lot of ground since taking over the business his parents Otto and Norma started in 1914.

Otto started out in the cheese busi-ness as an employee at a local cheese factory located at the corner of Wilke Lake and Point Creek roads in Kiel, Wis., in the early 1900s. When the factory owner developed physical limitations, Otto traveled to Madison, Wis., to get his cheesemaking license. By 1914, Otto had taken over the company — and Henning’s Cheese was born.

Everett remembers Otto telling him the business was started because local dairy producers felt they had to trans-port their milk too far to sell. With the help of several local farmers, the factory was built in two weeks using timber from a nearby forest. Everett worked side-by-side with his father until Otto’s death in 1963. The youngest child and only son, Everett, along with his wife Jellane, had to decide whether to shut down the cheese plant or take it over.

Everett decided to give it a shot. He took over the factory on Feb. 1, 1963, and began making and marketing his cheese. He sold to just one buyer in Sheboygan, Wis., in the beginning. Af-ter a couple of years, however, Everett partnered with Wisconsin Accredited Cheese Co., Green Bay, Wis. That part-nership provided him with access to greater markets and allowed him to expand the business.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s Everett realized that if Henning’s Cheese was going to remain fi nancially viable, he had to cultivate new markets. It was then that he began to take the company nationally and create his own

markets. The company’s fi rst national exposure came at an International Dairy Deli Association (IDDA) annual conven-tion about 30 years ago. Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board’s (WMMB) effort to attract national accounts to Wisconsin also was a key component to Henning’s national growth.

Around this time Everett and Jel-lane’s children began assuming roles throughout the company, which allowed Everett to concentrate on developing new markets. Daughter Kay (Schmitz) worked in the offi ce, son Kerry became a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker and son Kert was on the road working in sales and marketing. Another son, Kim, also was active in the family business until he joined the United Church of Christ ministry and became a pastor in Two Rivers, Wis.

As Henning’s Cheese continued to grow throughout the years, so did the Henning family bond. Everett struc-tured the business so that each child could utilize his or her talents to help the company grow, and the third generation of the Henning family was positioned to help mobilize the company’s plan for growth. As the children started com-ing into the business, Everett lost his partner and closest friend when Jellane passed away. Jellane is remembered as an asset to the company’s early success and has been sadly missed by her fam-ily over the years, notes Kert Henning.

On the business side of things, Everett built a new cheese factory in 1967, oversaw three expansion projects, helped develop a nationwide distribu-tion network and helped the company grow into one of Wisconsin’s most rec-ognized cheese companies. Perhaps the 81-year-old’s greatest accomplishment, however, is that the Henning family’s

fourth generation is being groomed to continue the legacy that began so long ago with Otto and Norma Henning.

Today, the fourth generation family members involved in the business are Mindy Schmitz, who works in the offi ce and oversees the retail store; Rebekah Henschel, who sells and markets Hen-ning’s Cheese to local Wisconsin grocery stores; Laura, Kathryn, Zachary, Leah and Michelle Henning; and Alicia Kahl. Also, Joshua Henning is attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and earning a degree in agriculture so he can learn the cheesemaking trade from his uncle Kerry.

Everett taught his children and

grandchildren that you need to work hard for the things you have and that you cannot take the factory, or your family, for granted — or things will slowly fall apart. The children and grandchildren are reminded of how Everett worked 14 to 16-hour days to build a thriving busi-ness. The third and fourth generations see their success as a testament to the hard work and dedication of Everett and Jellane, Kert says.

Today, Everett’s children and grand-children each know their place in the company and are able to complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses to work toward the common good. A lot of the decisions have been made for the fourth generation so that the transition can be as smooth as possible when it comes time for them to take the family business even further.

Family members often don’t have op-portunities to refl ect on and appreciate each other’s accomplishments. Everett’s 50th anniversary, however, has afforded the important opportunity for his family to say: “Hey dad, great job on the things you’ve accomplished and congratula-tions from your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren on being the great man you are for us to follow.” CMN

Reprinted with permission from the April 12, 2013, edition of CHEESE MARKET NEWS®© Copyright 2013 Quarne Publishing LLC; PH: (509) 962-4026; www.cheesemarketnews.com

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Today, Everett’s children and grandchildren each know their place in the company and are able

to complement each other’s strengths and

weaknesses to work toward the common good.