WW Homestead Dairy brings new homegrown industry to part of former Northern Engraving facility in Waukon

by Kelli Boylen
Freelance writer

Creameries once dotted the countryside in northeast Iowa, with local dairy products being made with local milk in small communities like Waterville, Waukon and Postville.
Now, two local families are going to make homegrown dairy products in Allamakee County a reality once again with a new venture located in Waukon, WW Homestead Dairy.
Paul Weighner, Tom Weighner and Tom Walleser plan to start processing milk sometime in May at the newly-established facility and will have an open house for the public in early summer.
Paul and Tom Weighner are brothers, and they have known Tom Walleser for decades. They have talked about starting their own milk processing plant for three or four years, and  decided, with the next generation coming along possibly wanting to make a living from the family farm and the movement toward “local food”, the time was right.
“The timing  just seemed right to jump in to this,” says Walleser. “We feel people want to know where their food comes from. It’s all good, but this will be good quality as well as local.”
They say have always managed their farms for quality milk, but now it will feel even more important, from the cow to the processing plant, as they will have a constant reminder that this milk is intended for their friends, family and neighbors. “That is the way all of this will be managed,” says Walleser. “Quality will be our absolute priority.”
The name - WW Homestead Dairy – was chosen to reflect the region’s dairy heritage and the family ties behind the farms. WW stands for Walleser and Weighner, or Weighner and Walleser, depending on who you ask, they note with a laugh.
WW Homestead Dairy will sell creamline (non-homogenized) milk, fresh cheese curds, ice cream and butter. They are not selling any raw milk products. Although they will not be homogenizing the milk, all of the milk will be properly pasteurized in a state-of-the-art pasteurizer.
Most milk sold in grocery stores is homogenized; a process that uses high pressure to break down fat molecules into particles so small that they become permanently mixed and the cream does not rise. Some people believe that creamline milk tastes better, and some say that it is healthier. Some people who are lactose intolerant report that they can consume creamline milk without problems.
They are not planning on matching the prices of factory-produced milk, but believe their prices will be close enough that consumers will feel the extra price is worth the benefits in freshness, quality and flavor.
Their products will be marketed in a 75-mile radius of Waukon, including LaCrosse and Dubuque. There are more than 250,000 people in that area, notes Paul Weighner.  “There are more people here than you may think.”
They will start out with one full-time and a few part-time employees, and expect to have five or six full-time employees once they are running at full capacity, which will be processing about 1,200 gallons of milk a day.
Bruce Snitker has been brought on as a consultant, and he will become the creamery manager when they open. Snitker is a licensed cheesemaker with more than 30 years experience in the industry. The Weighners and Walleser consider him to be a “very valuable asset.”
The Weighners and Walleser say they visited two other on-farm creameries before they came up with the plan of how they were going to set up their processing plant, one of which was Hansen’s Farm Fresh Dairy near Waterloo.
The trio says there has been a lot of enthusiasm for what they are doing, and that people seem excited about the opportunity to get local dairy products. “This is certainly bringing back memories of local creameries,” says Paul Weighner. “People remember the cheese curds they used to get at the Ludlow Creamery and then they start to smile knowing they will be able to get that here.”
There is also a lot of excitement over the fact that they are renovating the north building of the former Northern Engraving facility in Waukon, a facility that had shut down its production lines several years ago.
They had considered several other locations and looked at the Northern Engraving building almost as an afterthought. As soon as they were inside they realized the potential, including a large windowed lobby area which will serve as the retail store, and there was also a truck bay area that will be used for receiving their milk.
They note that Hansen’s Farm Fresh Dairy has quite a bit of foot traffic, and they are located on a gravel road. They believe their highly visible location on a main thoroughfare in Waukon will serve them well.
The renovations to the facility include setting up a 2,100 square foot processing area in the 13,000 square foot building.
The processing area will have large viewing windows for visitors to see the various processes involved in producing their products. Their plans in the future also include tours of their farms.
Tom Weighner milks 100 cows, and his brother, Paul, who works at Impro, helps out when possible. Tom’s daughter, Stephanie Iverson, is employed full-time on the farm.
Tom Walleser milks 120 cows, and he is the third generation on his family's farm. His high school-age sons are also a big part of their operation. The Weighner dairy is located between Waukon and Lansing and the Walleser dairy is near Lansing.
The project has been funded by the three families and loans. They received a grant from the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative for their initial feasibility study, and some funds from a Value-Added Ag Product grant. They have been working with a local bank as well as receiving help from Allamakee Economic Development and Allamakee County.
Tom Weighner’s family includes his wife, Angie, who is the director of technology in the Allamakee Community School District, their daughter Liz, who has one year of veterinary school left at Iowa State University; Stephanie, an NICC Calmar dairy school graduate who farms with him; Abby, who will attend Loras College this fall, and Anna, who is in eighth grade and  says she will be in charge of ice cream flavors. Paul farms some with Tom in addition to being president of Impro Products, Inc. in Waukon, an animal nutrition and health business.
Tom Walleser’s family includes his wife, Janet, who teaches third grade for the Allamakee Community School District; Kelsey, who is in her first year at the University of Iowa majoring in business; Tanner, a senior in high school who plans on attending Iowa State for ag business, Trent, a sophomore in high school, and Molly, who is in eighth grade.