Steve Bechel of Eau Galle Cheese plans to keep learning as he continues his lifelong cheese journey.
Although Steve Bechel didn’t grow up in the cheese industry, his career may have been preordained.
“My dad was a milk hauler, and my grandfather was a dairy farmer,” notes Bechel. “So I grew up around dairy and cows.”
It was only when he married a cheesemaker’s daughter and started working for his father-in-law that Bechel dove headfirst into the cheesemaking world.
“I worked in all facets of the plant, from milk receiving to learning to make cheese, and grew from there,” he says. “With my personality, I go over the top to research everything I am interested in, whether purchasing a mountain bike or new set of skis, I dig in; it’s the same with cheese. I just want to learn more, so it’s a good fit for me, as there is so much to learn with cheese.”
He compares cheesemaking to an unsolvable puzzle, where one can constantly progress as new pieces are discovered.
“I’ve spoken to people at the end of their career who have been in cheesemaking their whole lives who are still learning,” Bechel notes. “I am never bored, it’s so fun!”
Eau Galle Cheese was established in 1945 by Leo Buhlman, who apprenticed for eight years as a cheesemaker in Switzerland before coming to the U.S. in 1926.
“He was making Swiss Emmentaler cheese before that market began dwindling,” says Bechel. “He then tried other things and ended in Parmesan in the 1950s, which was still being created in copper kettles.”
Buhlman eventually began making Parmesan 100% in the late ’50s, which Eau Galle Cheese has been creating ever since.
“Our company will be 80 years old this year,” says Bechel. “We’ve been making Parmesan cheeses for so long, and we have such a passion for it.”
Leo’s son John and his wife took over the company in the late ’60s, and over the next few years, there were big improvements made in the company.
Here, Bechel discusses his background and career and what’s next in his journey.
CC: How did you educate yourself and delve into cheesemaking?
SB: I had no experience with the cheesemaking side. I worked on the plant floor and in the intake with milk receiving and milk pasteurization. I received my cheesemaker’s license in 2005, after I started my apprenticeship in 2000 under many people. At that time, I made cheese and learned that side of the business.
Eventually, in 2018, I applied for the Master Cheesemaker’s program and was accepted. I entered the program, and it was exceptional. It far exceeded my expectations and anticipated takeaways. Everything I learned from 20 years of cheesemaking, the Master Cheesemaker program brought together.
I also submitted cheese samples to a board that evaluated them. They were involved with interviews and plant walkthroughs, which were all great things. At the end, there was an open book exam that they say should take about 40 hours, and I spent 50 hours on it. It forced me to dig in and use all my knowledge.
It makes you understand the big picture and ties it all together. I completed all the coursework and was in the graduating class of 2021.
CC: Discuss the highlights of your career.
SB: I started at Eau Galle Cheese and worked my way up to plant manager. I then felt like it was time to try something different, so I went to Burnett Dairy in Wisconsin to serve as vice president of operations for five years. I kept growing from a cheesemaking standpoint and learned more about dairy and the cheese business in general.
We had a great management team at Burnett and were able to make positive changes. For me, I learned so much in the course of my time there.
I then returned to Eau Galle Cheese with the knowledge I gained. I had a different perspective on the industry, and what we could do with Eau Galle. We knew we needed to diversify into other market segments.
We eventually sold equity to one of our long-standing customers, which gave us the ability to get into the segments we needed. With the partnership, we were able to double our production volume. They have other cheese plants, and I recently accepted the role to oversee and help manage those plants, too.
Overall, the highlight of my career is being able to pass knowledge on that I have accumulated from so many others over the years, work with people and grow teams. We have a team at Toscana Cheese Co., a fresh mozzarella plant in New Jersey that I help oversee. It has been a delight to work with them and so rewarding to see the positive changes they accomplished working together. It is my favorite part of my job at this point in my career.
CC: Who has had the most impact on you in your cheesemaking career?
SB: My father-in-law John Buhlman has had the biggest impact on me. I owe so much to him in cheesemaking and in business, as well as how to look at the world and be a good person. From a business standpoint, he taught me a way that everyone needs to be successful from farmers to milk haulers, to our customers, because everyone is in this together and without one another none of us succeed. He is a steward to the industry, the community and a mentor for sure.
CC: What do you like best about the industry?
SB: The day-to-day tasks of cheesemaking are great. I like that there is never one day that is the same as another. I remember the first time I walked into a cheese plant thinking I’d do the same thing day in and day out. So much is going on, and there is always something to work on. There also is always something to learn.
The second you make an improvement or develop a new cheese, there’s another in the wings. I love the fact that it’s not routine, and there is always a new challenge, because every day is different.
The cheesemaking community is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. We all compete for that same customer base, but we’re all friends and talk to each other and try to help one another when we can. It’s the most wonderful community that I could ever get into. The people you meet, even competitors, become lifelong friends.
CC: What’s your favorite cheese?
SB: We had been working on a cheese that would help to diversify our portfolio, focusing on a charcuterie board-type deli specialty cheese. I showed it at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago a couple of years ago and had chefs say they wanted to use it for different recipes.
We originally looked at it from a charcuterie board perspective, but then decided to look at it as a foodservice item also, so we made a few adjustments and landed on a blend of cheddar with Parmesan notes that Eau Galle is known for; we named it Creamy Formaggio.
It works exceptionally well on charcuterie boards but also functions well in dishes. This cheese melts like cheddar and is functional like cheddar but tastes like Parmesan. It retains oils and holds up in dishes better than traditional Parmesan. I’ve never received so many text messages or so much excitement about a cheese we’ve produced. I’m excited to see where we go with it. We just started making Fontina that’s so good, too, and there are some other new items we’re launching that are very exciting.
CC: How has the cheese industry evolved since you’ve been in it?
SB: It has really changed a lot. Dairy farming, in general, has become very high tech and producers just keep getting better and making better quality milk. People are getting bigger, from dairy farmers to cheesemakers to distributors and retailers.
The other exciting side is cheese consumers appreciate quality more than they used to and are willing to pay for it. When I got into this, there were primarily commodity cheeses, a lot of cheddar, now we have so many exciting and flavorful cheeses.
What’s exciting is charcuterie boards. I look at social media feeds, and people are excited about cheese, building massive boards. I couldn’t imagine how cool cheese would become! You started seeing these great boards, and pretty soon everyone is coming into the store buying boards and cheeses to put together their own masterpieces.
I was at a Master Cheesemaker’s board meeting and discovered high school kids started a club about cheese. They meet monthly, talk about different cheeses and have several new exotic cheeses to try each month. This tells you there are real legs on this thing. People are excited about it.
CC: What advice would you give someone looking to get into the cheesemaking business?
SB: I don’t have schooling or a background in cheesemaking. I didn’t come out of college making cheese. It’s such a niche craft that the opportunity is endless if you continue to invest time and energy into it.
There’s a ton of opportunity in cheesemaking and the dairy industry. I encourage those who like to work with their hands and like science and art to take a look at it. There is definitely a void in operations people, but many talented people are coming up. There is optimism for the future. Many people who are leaders in the industry are retiring, and great young talent is coming up. There is room for people who want to get involved.
CC: What are your plans for the future?
SB: We continue to reinvest in that original location, and we have cap-ex projects planned. The next phase of my career is getting this plant set up for the future with a sustainable business model. One of our core beliefs is to be an asset to the community and have a good enough business model to not only survive into the future but also make donations, pay employees well, and contribute to local events. Now it’s about setting us up for the future and the next management team.
I’m still active in my role at Eau Galle, working with our partners there. As they grow, I’m helping them set up teams at other locations and pass on more knowledge. I also continue to learn.
It was fun to become involved in the fresh mozzarella plant in New Jersey. It’s a new cheese for me, so I was able to learn a whole new skill set. I believe in continuing education, as well as working with new groups and people. I will be working with cheese until the day I can no longer work. Even if I slow down or retire, I will still be involved in the cheese community because once you’re in, you’re in for life.
