"This little red head is excited for Fresh Curd Friday!" WW Homestead Dairy wrote on their Facebook page on October 20, 2017.

by Kelli Boylen

In July 2017 WW Homestead Dairy, Waukon, Iowa, added the "Coffee Barn" to their existing retail store and ice cream parlor.

“There were no specialty coffee shops in Waukon and we felt that it would be a great complement to our ice cream parlor,” says Liz Murphy of WW Homestead Dairy.  “It also allows us to feature our milk and some great locally roasted coffees. Currently, we serve Verena Street Coffee out of Dubuque, Iowa and Impact Coffee out of Decorah, Iowa.”

In addition to their delicious ice cream, cheese, butter and milk, they now offer a full line of espresso drinks, fresh brewed coffee, tea, and seasonal options such as hot apple cider and hot chocolate made with their own chocolate milk.  

“The response has been great from the community and visitors passing through,” Liz says.

WW Homestead Dairy is a family-run dairy processing plant operated by the Walleser and Weighner families. They  began producing their first cheese curds the summer of 2011 and has since adopted the title of “The Cheese Curd Capital of Iowa.” All the milk used to produce their dairy products comes from the Walleser and Weighner family dairy farms, located in Allamakee County.

This past year they expanded their markets by working with colleges and schools, and are currently working on introducing cottage cheese into their product line.

by Kelli Boylen

Five years ago when Eric and Sarah Underberg started making fermented foods most people had never heard of the idea.

Sarah was interviewed on WHBF-TV on September 20, 2017 and snapped this selfie.

Nowadays, most people have heard of kombucha and sauerkraut, but there are many other products including fermented hummus, kimchi, pickles, salsas, and traditional sourdough bread.

Eric started exploring fermented foods to improve his own health. “My husband started making fermented foods to heal his body after years of abuse from college football and working as a master carpenter,” shared his wife Sarah. “He began making milk kefir and sauerkraut and eating it every day. I was not interested in the beginning, however his passion for spreading the truth about food was so profound that I jumped on board. After about six months of Eric consuming these foods and the almost immediate bounce back, he talked to me at length about how we needed to share this information and food with others. That is when we decided to put everything we had into this business,” says Sarah.

They founded Agri-Cultured in 2012 in Dallas Center, Iowa with a small, licensed kitchen. They started making five-gallon batches of sauerkraut and kimchi.

“It was so important to us that we make the transition to whole food eating so easy, that people didn’t even realize they were eating ‘healthy.’ That’s why we offer the flavors that we do,” she said, adding, “Our company is the “gateway” drug to fermented foods...ie...easy on taste, pairs well with so many other foods and it gives us the opportunity to plant the seed of cultured food.”

by Kelli Boylen

Julie Parisi, founder and owner of Zaza’s Pasta, is not only making local food, she is using local sources for the raw ingredients whenever possible as well!

“We're using only Minnesota and Iowa grown wheat in all of our products. Throughout the whole process we're supporting local farmers along the way,” she shared.  All of their garlic, herbs and vegetables come from Frontier Natural Cooperative out of Norway, IA, whose mission it is to support and strengthen rural communities around the globe.

Zaza's Pastas started in 2010 in a small, one-bedroom apartment in Iowa City, selling at local farmers markets. Zaza’s Pastas has been working out of a commercial kitchen since 2012. In 2015 they started working with some local food wholesale distributors. This has allowed their product to reach farther than she could have ever anticipated.

“We pour our heart and soul into each batch of pasta,” expressed Julie. “We love the ingredients, we love the process and we want you to love what you eat!” Her pasta includes only local, organic and non-GMO flour.