Churning success for 85 years

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

January 26, 2026

MANITOWOC – At first glance, Quality Assurance Manager and fourth-generation Co-owner Samantha Hammel said Pine River Dairy offers everything customers may expect from a classic Wisconsin dairy store: nearly 300 varieties of cheese, fresh sausage, hand-dipped ice cream, local meats, candies and gifts.

But behind the retail shelves at the Manitowoc-based business, Hammel said, is a butter manufacturing operation that has quietly defined the company for generations and continues to set it apart as Pine River Dairy prepares to celebrate its 85th anniversary of family ownership and operation in 2026.

“We like to give people the full Wisconsin experience: the freshest dairy products from Wisconsin, from butter, cheese, local meat from down the road – and keep prices affordable,” she said.

Located at 10115 English Lake Road in Manitowoc, Pine River Dairy has been family-owned/operated since its founding in 1941.

A dairy legacy

Hammel said the Olm family’s dairy roots reach far beyond Pine River Dairy.

Their cheesemaking tradition, she said, began in 1877, when the sons of Civil War veteran August Olm first started producing cheese.

The legacy, Hammel said, continued with his great-grandson, Roland Olm, who purchased Pine River Dairy in 1932. 

Now in its sixth generation of dairy producers, Hammel said her family continues to run the business – manufacturing butter and butter blends for wholesale while maintaining a retail store on-site at the production facility.

Today, she said she co-owns the business alongside her aunt, Laurie Olm (president); her mother, Shari Riesterer (vice president); and her aunt, Pam Waak (warehouse manager).

Butter at heart

Though the store showcases a wide range of Wisconsin-made products, Hammel said butter remains the business’s defining product and primary differentiator – producing butter onsite four to five times per week.

“People remark on how fresh it is, as we make it four or five times a week, depending on the week,” she said. “They like our fresh dairy products and the flavor, too.”

While many modern butter manufacturers rely on continuous, closed systems, Hammel said Pine River Dairy preserves tradition by producing butter in separate, individual batches.

“We make butter in small batches with a barrel churn, which not many do anymore,” she said. “Most dairies use a continuous butter churn, a closed system. And ours makes batches of 1,000 pounds, with each batch made separately from other batches that day.”

Hammel said that hands-on approach results in a noticeably different product.

“We’re more hands-on than most butter manufacturers these days, and our equipment doesn’t process [the butter] as much,” she said. “Commercial butters have almost a waxy texture because they’ve been manipulated so much.”

Hammel said Pine River Dairy produces between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds of butter per day, typically four days per week for a maximum weekly output of approximately 60,000 pounds – small by industry standards, but intentional. 

That butter, she said, supports a robust wholesale business supplying restaurants, bakeries and large-scale food manufacturers nationwide.

Much of Pine River Dairy’s butter, Hammel said, is used as an ingredient in other products, from cheesecakes and cookies to pie crusts. 

With distribution from the East Coast to the South and even reaching the West Coast, Hammel said the company has maintained distributor partnerships for more than 40 years.

“We’re willing to work with customers,” she said. “We are willing to fill smaller orders – sometimes as small as a single pallet – that larger producers will not accommodate. That’s our niche.”

Wholesale butter sales, Hammel said, are the primary focus of the company’s operation, while cheese plays a larger role on the retail side.

Pine River Dairy, she said, sources cream and cheese from a variety of Northeast Wisconsin producers and works with local vendors whenever possible.

Hammel said the store also showcases products made with Pine River butter, including Vande Walle’s chocolates and candies, along with baked goods from local partner Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe.

“We like to bring things full circle,” she said.

Located within the manufacturing facility, Hammel said the retail store itself is a destination – featuring a viewing window that gives customers a behind-the-scenes look at the packaging team and the plant at work.

The store, she said, also draws consistent traffic for fresh cheese curds, available Monday through Friday.

The experience, Hammel said, extends beyond the building itself.

Pine River Dairy, she said, also owns and maintains a grassy park just across the street from the facility.

With trees, benches and open space, Hammel said it provides a relaxing spot for families during their visit.

A cow-shaped seat named Buttercup, she said, has become a signature feature and popular photo spot, reinforcing Pine River Dairy’s reputation as a family-friendly, multigenerational destination.

“A lot of families in the area and neighborhood are regulars at the dairy store, and we’ve known their kids since they were born, and now they’re in college,” she said. “We also have high school and college kids who come to work with us.”

Hammel said seasonality plays a major role in the business, particularly during the holidays and summer tourism months.

“In December, we add a third cash register because it’s a crazy busy month,” she said. “From Thanksgiving through the new year, a lot of people who grew up here and are home for the holidays come around to pick up cheese.”

In the summer, Hammel said the influx of tourists heading to Door County stop at Pine River Dairy’s retail store to pick up their favorites along the way.

Popular choices, she said, frequently include 50-cent scoops of Cedar Crest and Kemps ice cream.

“Summer is big with a lot of Illinois people going past us on Interstate 43,” she said. “We’re not far off the highway, and stopping at the store offers a nice little break for them.”

Spreading success

With a core team of about 20 employees and extra help during the busy holiday season, Hammel said Pine River Dairy owes its longevity to its hands-on leadership approach and a culture that values every team member.

“It’s the things we have always kept – we always are involved,” she said. “We all have our hands in everything, and we all care a lot, and that keeps us going.”

That adaptability, Hammel said, was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The food world was impacted, and we couldn’t let people in our store because it was so small, so we offered curbside pickup,” she said. “We were little bellhops going out to their cars with orders they placed on the website. We sold a ton of product and kept our employees working. We took something bad and made good of it.”

Hammel said the pandemic accelerated Pine River Dairy’s online presence, expanding phone, web and in-store ordering and spurred shipping products nationwide – though what can be shipped varies depending on the time of year.

As a small company, she said word of mouth remains one of the company’s most powerful marketing tools.

“Social media is great, too, but a lot of times we hear that a neighbor or friend gave them a pound of our butter, and it was so good they needed more,” she said. “We love hearing the back story.”

Pricing, Hammel said, is another point of distinction for Pine River Dairy. 

By following the Chicago Mercantile Exchange butter market, she said the company can offer a product that is not only superior in taste and consistency but also priced well below many grocery store options.

Beyond its commercial success, Hammel said Pine River Dairy has earned industry recognition for its products.

The company, she said, has competed in – and won awards at – the World Dairy Expo, the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest and the World Championship Cheese Contest, particularly for its flavored butters, including fan favorites like cinnamon honey and herb-and-garlic.

Looking ahead, Hammel said Pine River Dairy plans to install new packaging equipment later this year, aiming to boost efficiency while maintaining the same high-quality product.

“We’ll have the same great product,” she said. “We’ll be just a little more modernized.”

For more on Pine River Dairy, head to pineriverdairy.com or check out its Facebook page.