Casper Jaggi: Master Swiss Cheese Maker

by Jerry Apps

Have you ever wondered why Swiss cheese has holes? You'll find out in this story about a Swiss cheese maker named Casper Jaggi. Casper Jaggi was only six years old when his father taught him how to make cheese in the Swiss Alps. In 1913, Jaggi left Switzerland in search of new opportunities in the United States. Like many other Swiss, he settled in Green County, Wisconsin, where the rolling hills dotted with grazing cows reminded him of home. And soon, he'd be turning cow's milk into cheese, just as he did in Switzerland.

The book opens the doors to Jaggi's Brodhead Swiss Cheese Factory - largest factory of its kind in Wisconsin in the 1950s. Archival photos help illustrate, step-by-step, the process Jaggi and his workers followed to transform 2,000 pounds of milk in a copper kettle into a 200-pound wheel of Swiss cheese.
 Jaggi was one of the many European immigrants who helped establish Wisconsin's reputation for delicious cheese. The artisan cheese makers crafting award-winning cheeses today are continuing this rich tradition in America's Dairyland.
 

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2008

About the author

Jerold W. Apps, born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 30 books, many of them on rural history and country life. His nonfiction books include: Living a Country Year, Every Farm Tells a Story, When Chores Were Done, Humor from the Country, Country Ways and Country Days, One-Room Schools, Cheese, Breweries of Wisconsin, Ringlingville USA (History of Ringling Brothers circus), Old Farm: A History, Barns of Wisconsin, Horse Drawn Days: A Century of Farming With Horses, and Campfires and Loon Calls. His children's books include: Stormy, Eat Rutabagas, Tents, Tigers and the Ringling Brothers, and Casper Jaggi: Master Swiss Cheese Maker. He has an audio book, The Back Porch and Other Stories. Jerry has published four novels, The Travels of Increase Joseph, In a Pickle: A Family Farm Story, Blue Shadows Farm and Cranberry Red. Jerry is a former publications editor for UW-Extension, an acquisitions editor for the McGraw-Hill Book Company, and editor of a national professional journal.

Jerry has won awards for his writing from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Library Association (the 2007 Notable Authors Award), American Library Association, Foreword Magazine, Midwest Independent Publishers Association, Robert E. Gard Foundation, The Wisconsin Council for Writers (the 2007 Major Achievement Award), Upper Midwest Booksellers, and Barnes and Noble Bookstores, among others. In 2010 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Check www.jerryapps.com for more information.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love these “living books” that describe Wisconsin history through men and women who lived here. Although there are some books about famous names, many are rather ordinary people who represent a contribution to our state’s history. We enjoyed this introduction to an important WI industry thru an immigrant’s story! I believe Charlotte Mason would approve.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

#nerdlution day 21. Interesting look at the process of making Swiss cheese and a Wisconsin immigrant who helped the state earn its reputation as the dairy state. Some of the photos remind me of a family trip to Langnau, Bern, Switzerland, our ancestral home. The words of wisdom of doing something right or not doing it at all were ingrained in us as well!

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected this book to be a biography.

Instead I got governmental propaganda about how cheese is good for your health and about the "gentle" hills of Wisconsin. Well, I guess they are gentle as they do not gang on Friday nights to get drunk and harass young women. Casper Jaggi is just an excuse to collate all these pieces of useless trivia.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another juvenile nonfiction, this time a history of Swiss-born Wisconsin immigrant master cheese maker Casper Jaggi. This is a well-written, fairly complete (while brief) narrative of Jaggi's life, including his work ethic, his aspirations, and his unfailing dedication to the art and science of crafting high-quality cheeses. Worth reading!