• My account
  • Cart
  • Checkout
  • Shopping Cart Shopping Cart
    0Shopping Cart
ellsworth-creamery-logo
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Pinterest
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to Instagram
  • About
    • Our History
    • Farm Families
    • Our Dairy Awards & Recognition
    • Visit Our Creameries
      • Ellsworth Location
      • Menomonie Location
    • Ellsworth Cares
  • Products
    • Antonella Natural Artisan Cheeses
    • Premium Block Cheese
    • Cheese Curds
    • Frozen Battered Cheese Curds
    • Pasteurized Process Cheese
  • Foodservice & Retail
  • Recipes
  • News
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
    • Donations
    • Fundraising
  • Shop Online
    • 1885 Ellsworth Reserve
    • Antonella Collection
    • Ellsworth Premium Cheese
    • Cheese Curds
    • Curd Crunchers
    • Bulk Curds
    • Frozen Pre-Battered Curds
    • Unique Cheese Gift Boxes
    • Merch & Gifts
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / News2 / Cheese3 / The End of an Era

The End of an Era

July 10, 2017

This spring cheese curd fans from across the region shed a tear when they heard the news… and the news was all over television, radio, print and social media. Dick Mueller, owner of The Original Deep Fried Cheese Curds booth at the Minnesota State Fair, announced his retirement. It was hoped that Dick could pass the business on to his son, Tom, who would continue the tradition at the fair.

It was not to be. After a diligent ā€œSave the Curdsā€ campaign and meetings with fair officials, it was eventually announced that The Original Deep Fried Cheese Curd space would be offered to another fair vendor.

If you’ve ever attended the Minnesota State Fair, then chances are you’ve visited The Original Deep Fried Cheese Curds booth. Dick and his family were the first to introduce deep fried cheese curds to the event back in 1975. For 39 out of their 42 years at the fair, they proudly served their loyal customers none other than Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery’s cheese curds!

Considering we only began making cheese curds in 1968, this was significant. Our curds were still in their infancy, so you can imagine that being at the Minnesota State Fair was a pretty big deal to us in those days.

This development marked the end of a cheese curd era at the Great Minnesota Get Together. But we couldn’t let the story end this way…

The State Fair Board’s final decision was announced the week prior to our annual Cheese Curd Festival. We invited the Muellers to join us at the festival grounds so we could acknowledge them for their hard work and advocacy on behalf of our cheese curds.

On the evening of Friday, June 23, we celebrated Dick and the family at Ellsworth’s East End Park. Many of their extended family, friends, employees and fans made the trip.

We presented them with a certificate of appreciation to acknowledging their contributions and hard work over the years. Paul Bauer, CEO, and Joe Hines, Dick’s contact these many years at Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, led the presentation. We then invited the Muellers to join our fry crew behind Cheese Curd Central, where they fried up our cheese curds as only they can — It was quite a show!

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Vk
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
Search Search

Sign up for our newsletter

Sign Up Now
For Email Newsletters you can trust.

Previous Posts

  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • June 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • October 2023
  • August 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • October 2021
  • June 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • September 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • August 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

Sign up for our newsletter

Sign Up Now
For Email Newsletters you can trust.

Customer Service

  • My account
  • Returns
  • Shipping
  • Packaging Fee
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

Latest News

  • The Ultimate Cheese Challenge Returns: Which Cheese Will Reign Supreme?March 8, 2025 - 11:59 am
  • A Fresh Look for a Timeless Tradition: Our New Brand EvolutionJanuary 20, 2025 - 11:39 am
  • 2024 Holiday Gift CatalogOctober 1, 2024 - 4:16 pm
Ā© Copyright - Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery // Website by Sievers Creative
  • Members
  • Dairy Farm & Creamery FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Foodservice & Retail
  • Sitemap
Link to: Summer Berry Salad with Ellsworth Cheese Curd Crumbles Link to: Summer Berry Salad with Ellsworth Cheese Curd Crumbles Summer Berry Salad with Ellsworth Cheese Curd Crumbles Link to: Celebrating our Latest Award Winning Cheeses! Link to: Celebrating our Latest Award Winning Cheeses! Celebrating our Latest Award Winning Cheeses!
Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top
Cleantalk Pixel
adroll_adv_id = "PW6I2GUZ7ZDLDBYPCPIYJT"; adroll_pix_id = "ND74AAR6X5HALGDPVWGJLB"; adroll_version = "2.0"; adroll_current_page = "other"; adroll_currency = "USD"; adroll_language = "en_US";