Verns Cheese under new ownership after 59 years

Chris Rugowski

Contributor

March 20, 2024

CHILTON — Vern’s Cheese, located at 312 W. Main St. in Chilton, has been a staple in the area since 1964 when Vern and Edith Knoespel started with one truck and one rented cooler space.

Fast forward 60 years, and you’ll find that same family-owned and operated company mindset, albeit with a new owner, Ben Novak, who took over ownership in 2023.

Novak said he is bringing a new vision to the company to make Vern’s a one-stop shop for full-service food distribution that will help simplify systems and be more efficient for their customers, while providing the same level of quality they’ve been providing for the last 60 years.

He said it should be noted that while they prioritize cheese and distribute all of your favorite Wisconsin cheese brands, Vern’s is a full-service food distributor.

Some of the products include:

Fresh dairy productsEggsMeatsPrepared foodsDry goodsSeasonings and saucesChocolates and candiesWisconsin maple syrup and honey
Generational cheese industry workers
The Novak family has been in the cheese industry for generations, and Novak himself is a fourth-generation cheese industry worker.

Novak said his family has been recognized for its contributions to the cheese industry, including winning cheese awards at the Wisconsin State Fair.

Not only is Novak a licensed Wisconsin Cheese Grader, but he also uses No. 520, a license once held by his grandfather.

“This gives me an advantage for understanding quality,” he said, “Being a licensed grader, I was able to determine the defects and characteristics that disqualify cheese for certain applications and where to find their most appropriate application use.”

Novak’s determination to lead Vern’s into the future, he said, is inspired by his rich family heritage and past work history.

“I worked with my father, Bill, from 2007-2022, where I focused heavily on aging premium Wisconsin cheddar along with buying and selling other types of cheese, ranging from 40 pounds up to one million pounds,” said.

Novak said he takes pride in his honesty, transparency and business acumen within the industry.

“It’s allowed me to build the book of contacts that has allowed me to run Vern’s today,” he said.

Keeping Vern’s legacy going
Novak shares the same vision as the original Vern’s family, so continuing the legacy will be easy for him, he said.

“Quality cheese first — you don’t cut corners on quality,” he said. “Wisconsin cheese is too important to be focused solely on price.”

With Novak’s generational ties to Wisconsin dairy farmers and cheese makers, he said it is fitting to continue in the distribution of premium Wisconsin cheese, milk, butter and all other dairy and Wisconsin favorite food items.

Ben and Lindsey Novak said one of their daughters may become a fifth generation cheese grader in the future. Submitted Photo

“Vern’s has been a key player in Wisconsin dairy for 60 years and will continue to evolve not only in cheese distribution, but Wisconsin dairy and food entirely,” he said.

Through work history especially, Novak said he has gained a timeless education in distribution.

“You’ve got the cheesemaker, grocery store and restaurant, but there’s so many steps in between there,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve been able to see what makes programs and systems work and what prevents them from even getting started. Now that I’m here at the helm of Vern’s, I see the ability to control so many of those variables. That’s going to be huge. We can keep Vern’s legacy alive and well, all while expanding reach and growing.”

Those variables include using its own facility to cut, wrap and label cheese products and using its own transportation to distribute.

“Distribution was the roadblock in so many projects (I worked on) previously,” Novak said. “Now that we control it, we know the outcome, and we’re able to make certain decisions that would never be made if we weren’t in this position.”

He said his timing coming into owning Vern’s was a perfect setting where the distribution and reputation are in place, and he can bring his knowledge to marry the two industries.

Novak’s thoughts on leadership so far
The last 13 months have been continuing to learn and improve upon communication with customers, Novak said.

“Over the last 60 years, Vern’s has evolved and adapted to serve a wide range of customers — it’s been eye-opening to see the variety of products and services offered,” he said.

Members of the previous owner’s family still work at the company and have key roles in helping with the transition.

Novak said this speaks volumes to the dedication to continuing a quality product.

“The previous owners did an absolutely amazing job during the 60 years they were running the company,” he said. “I don’t want to change what it’s built on — I want to get us to be sustainable for the future and be here for another 60 years, and more.”

New initiatives in the works
One of the initiatives Novak said he has worked heavily on is reevaluating the entire catalog of cheese items, types, styles and brands along with all of the other food items that Wisconsin has come to rely on from Vern’s distribution.

“Our goal is to offer the proper balance of quality and variety but not overwhelm the customer with too many similar cheeses and other product offerings,” he said. “It goes back to quality over quantity. I want customers and consumers to know and understand that Vern’s has done the homework on what they think is the best consistent value and quality.”

Novak also reiterates that doesn’t mean they won’t special order products when needed.

He said his favorite part so far is working with cheesemakers in Wisconsin to help them grow their brand by distributing in Wisconsin and beyond.

“We help keep Wisconsin’s best cheese on the shelves anywhere from supper clubs and taverns up north, to state and nationwide stores,” Novak said, “Even if it doesn’t say Vern’s, we are not afraid to bring it.”

Novak said the relationships between Vern’s and some cheesemakers who are older than he is has been key.

“Some of these cheesemakers even worked with my father and grandfather, so it feels like we haven’t skipped a beat keeping the Novak name synonymous with quality Wisconsin cheese,” he said. “Those are the kind of relationships I hope to continue for many more generations in the Wisconsin cheese industry.”

Future growth
Growing sales is paramount for any company.

Vern’s current focus is growing its knowledge of the customer’s needs and wants, Novak said.

“Once we get a clear understanding of that, we will know exactly where we need to grow,” he said. “That’s the exciting part. I know we are already positioned to expand in many different directions. Vern’s has accumulated an impressive number of customers over 60 years and taking time to meet them all has been a necessary step in this growth.”

One might wonder what “effective communication” means going forward given all the positives happening for the company right now.

Novak said it comes down to the fact that Vern’s has scaled over the years, but its customers may not know or understand that.

“This isn’t a negative response, but rather a recognition of customers who may historically only buy limited amounts of items, not knowing they may be able to get more product in larger quantities from Vern’s,” he said. “More or less, it’s sitting down and re-educating our customers on what we can offer them. They’re already customers, and maybe they’re only using us to 10% of their ability. We’d love to help them more.”

Novak said this matters to him going forward because Vern’s has so many customers, and being in the food and retail sector, its customers can’t order for the month — usually.

“It’s week by week, even day by day for some,” he said. “I know there is a lot that goes into the business model and mentality. It’s exciting to see where this will lead.”

Novak said he wants to use these opportunities to remind decision-makers that Vern’s is in a position to be their distributor for all things food service.

What makes Vern’s stand out?
Quality over quantity is the name of the game for Novak.

Being a licensed cheese grader, Novak said he can be informative, critical and confident in the cheese they promote and distribute.

“The team is selective,” he said. “We are not afraid to sell, promote and distribute other brands of cheese because we understand everyone has their preference.”

A unique aspect of Vern’s model is the ability to take cheese and package it how the customer wants.

Whether that’s large wheels, large cuts or small cuts and small packaging.

“We also have a private label option where the customer can choose where their cheese is made and we will facilitate that,” Novak said. “My goal is to distribute quality Wisconsin cheese and dairy no matter what the brand.”

He also suggests making a mental note of the business(es) you see that have Vern’s trucks completing deliveries.

“It shows they care about their cheese by saying, ëthat business chose to call a cheese-specific company for their cheese and dairy,í” he said.

Vern’s Cheese is located at 312 W. Main St. in Chilton. Pictured is one of Owner Ben Novak’s daughters. Submitted Photo

Beyond Vern’s name specifically, Novak said buying Wisconsin dairy products, in general, impacts so many levels throughout the economic chain.

“Iím not ignorant of the fact our customers can get our products from other people.” he said, “But obviously, they use us for a reason. They’ve got quality items on their menu and they’re staple restaurants.”

Vern’s is unique because they have a consistent product from a consistent source, and high quality standards they maintain.

Novak said like any business, they work to operate as efficiently as possible to keep costs down, but the one area they won’t sacrifice is the cheese.

“We lower costs where we can and where we should, but never on the cheese itself,” he said.

Taking it further, Novak goes down the line as to why cost is associated with quality.

“The quality begins with the proper crops to feed cows, clean milk handling, expert cheese making, storage, transportation, aging, converting, packaging and finally, distribution and support, both before and after purchases,” he said.

Vern’s unique structure and position in the market allows them to handle many of the steps internally versus farming them out, Novak said.

“This comes as a cost savings to the consumer in the end,” he said.

For Novak, he said he goes back to the days when he was buying and selling surplus cheese inventories to help companies balance internally, both domestically and internationally.

“(Vern’s) has been getting straight from the source since day one,” he said. “That’s what I continue to keep bringing to the table.”

For more information on Vern’s Cheese, visit vernscheese.com or find it on Facebook.