Wisconsin Cheese Mart

Ownership

Wisconsin Cheese Mart is owned by UW-Madison alumni Ken and Melissa McNulty, who bought the company from its previous owner in 2003. While not originally founded by the current owners, they are independent Madison-area residents who own and operate the business.

Local Sourcing

Wisconsin Cheese Mart highlights cheeses from over 30 creameries in the state, and the company continues to actively seek out and partner with small creameries to ensure customers have access to handcrafted cheeses made with milk from the Dairy State. Nearly all sourcing is Wisconsin and regional.

Community Involvement

Wisconsin Cheese Mart held a grand opening event with meet-and-greets with Wisconsin cheese makers, and Wisconsin dairy farmers, creameries and sellers were ecstatic about the company's Super Bowl commercial, with partnerships including Henning's Cheese, Carr Valley, and Pine River creameries. Limited evidence of direct Madison community sponsorships or nonprofit engagement beyond cheese industry partnerships.

Local Workforce

Employee reviews describe it as a chill place to work with a respectful owner, but other reviews mention payroll issues, foot traffic-dependent blame for sales, and difficulty keeping the owner happy. Mixed employee sentiment with some positive and some negative reports.

Revenue Retention

Wisconsin Cheese Mart has $20 million in revenue. As an independent, family-owned retailer focused on Wisconsin cheese producers, significant revenue stays within the state through partnerships with local creameries, though national e-commerce shipping dilutes local retention.

Local Presence

The website is dominated by corporate e-commerce template language ('SHOP NOW', 'Add to cart', product categorization taxonomy) with minimal personality or local identity. While it references Wisconsin and local cheese producers like Carr Valley and Pine River, there are no owner names, staff personalities, Madison-specific messaging, or locally-driven narrative—only generic retail copy.