From a Tiny Farm to the World Stage
A Young Cheesemonger’s Story
Hanna Lee, the International Young Cheesemonger of the Year poses with a tray of cheese
When you think of Wisconsin, you think of cheese. But an American, let alone a Wisconsinite, has never conquered cheesemongering internationally, until now.
From a young age, Hanna Lee had been interested in animals and the production of their byproducts, a fascination that catapulted her to the world stage this past November.
“I studied animal science in school. So that's kind of what got me into the dairy industry. I was interested in animals, food, animal reproduction and dairy science,” said Hanna.
Hanna Lee became the first American to win the Young Cheesemonger of the Year award, a competition held annually and hosted by the Academy of Cheese, on November 13, 2025.
As the first American to ever win this competition, it is not lost on Hanna how important this moment is for young cheesemongers across the U.S. “It's pretty exciting to represent Wisconsin and the U.S. on an international stage,” said Hanna. “We're having a pretty good year for Americans in international competitions with the Mondial du Fromage, which happened in France in September. Two Americans were on the podium there too, it's really cool to be representing Wisconsin [and] just showing how passionate people here are about cheese and high-quality foods and dairy.”
Currently, Hanna works at Uplands Cheese for half of the year, a 300-acre dairy farm and cheese producer located in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, about an hour west of Madison. Hanna grew up in Seattle and has split her time between Colorado and Dodgeville. Recently, she moved to Albuquerque to join in growing New Mexico's fledgling cheese scene.
According to Hanna, Uplands Cheese is unique in its operation as a seasonal dairy, as they only produce cheese between May and December. Both of the cheeses Uplands produces are raw milk cheeses, a sign of the high-quality cow's milk used, according to Hanna. You can find Uplands Cheese products at Fromagination and Wisconsin Cheese Mart, two stores located near the Capitol that come highly recommended by Hanna.
“Most cheese factories in Wisconsin and everywhere are year-round. But we only do seasonal breeding and only make cheese in the spring, summer, and fall, we [also] only make two styles of cheese,” said Hanna.
While the majority of Wisconsin cheese producers make multiple types of cheese, Uplands focuses strictly on Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an Alpine-style cheese, and Rush Creek Reserve, a cheese wrapped in spruce bark.
Hanna first got her start in cheese production at a small farm in Au Sable Forks, near upstate New York. The Farm only had 70 goats and produced strictly goat cheese. From there, she worked in both cheese retail and production.
Hanna used her knowledge of both the retail and production sides of cheesemaking to prepare for the Young Cheesemonger of the Year awards. Preparation for the competition for Hanna involved reading about cheesemongering, cutting and wrapping cheese and perfecting her cheese pairing skills. “The whole purpose of the cheese mongering competition is just for you to do what you would normally do every day at work. But see if you can do it well,” said Hanna.
During the competition, Hanna prepared a pairing of Stilton blue cheese and Trader Joe's cookie butter. “I felt like the fudgey texture of the spread works really well with the same kind of density in the cheese, and it was very lightly sweet, which paired nicely with the savory and kind of sweet notes in the cheese,” said Hanna.
The competition itself consisted of five rounds, with each round testing a specific skill needed to be a successful cheesemonger. The rounds vary, including interviews, creating a perfect pairing, identifying specific kinds of cheese, the participants' ability to accurately cut and wrap cheese, and a knowledge test.
For those wanting to get their start in cheese production, Hanna recommends “finding farmers or places you want to work and reach out to them. The worst thing they can say is, ‘we're not hiring,’” said Hanna. “There's a lot of information that can be learned just by chatting with somebody who works at a cheese shop.”
In the future, Hanna plans to continue competing in the cheesemongering world. She wants to participate in the Cheesemonger Invitational, then the Cheesemonger Invitational Masters, while eventually working her way up to Mondial du Fromage in France. In the meantime, she plans to continue to “network with the industry” and “talk to civilians about cheese,” said Hanna. “There are lots of great opportunities for travel and cheese, too. So hopefully I can do some more abroad.”
Images from the Young Cheesemonger of the Year competition