Outside, all is calm. But there’s a buzz of busy commotion in the building next to the highway.

It’s not the hustle and bustle you first notice, however. It’s the aroma of fresh, warm cream. Mild, sweet and appealing – it’s a sort of counter balance to the demanding work being performed around the large vats.

The workday indeed starts early. “My start-up man comes in around 12:30 in the morning,” said Brian Renard. “Milk is going through the pasteurizer by 12:45.”

Pasteurization is the first step in making the cheddar, mozzarella and specialty cheeses Renard’s is known for.

As the early morning hours progress, the factory comes to life. Business partners Brian and his nephew Chris Renard arrive, along with the rest of the crew. Vats are filled with milk while overhead blades slowly rotate through the mixtures, stirring.

There’s noise – a constant loud hum of machinery. There’s steam and water, white shirts and hair nets.

And the crew moves like clockwork, measuring, cutting, stirring, hoisting slabs of cheese through curd cutters.

The work has to be early, said Brian, because loyal customers expect their cheese deliveries in the morning. “We’d have a lot of people barking if they don’t have fresh curds by eight,” says Brian, smiling.

It’s a routine that’s well-worn.

The year 2011 marks the landmark cheese factory’s 50th anniversary year. In 1961, Brian’s father Howard Renard bought the factory. Although now retired over 20 years, Howard is still a fixture at the plant. “I come in most days, but I don’t do much. I putz around. When I want to work, I work,” he admits with a wry smile.

The elder Renard found his way to cheese at an early age. “My dad had a milk route and I’d ride along. I’d help out at cheese factories (while helping making deliveries) – a half-hour here and there.”

The experience paid off. Eventually he went on to manage a local cheese cooperative. But when it was purchased by a larger company, and he was asked to move the shop to Denmark, Wisconsin, he resisted. “I didn’t want to do that, so I bought this here in 1961.”

At the time of the purchase, the business already had a long history as a cheese factory.

“In those days, there were, I don’t know, maybe 15 cheese factories around,” said Howard, reminiscing about the myriad small operations that had been scattered across the rural landscape. Today, Renard’s Cheese is the last man standing.

After the purchase, Howard added on to his new factory, expanding the production area. “I built a shop. Built a house,” he said, waving to the areas around the factory.

When the first curds of Renard’s cheese came out of the vat, did he see it still successfully operating 50 years later? He laughs. “Without the boys, I couldn’t have handled it,” said Howard. He and wife Angela raised seven children, but only Brian and Gary became involved with the factory.

Indeed, it is a family affair. Howard and Gary ran the operation for years. When Howard’s younger son Brian graduated high school in 1983, he joined the business. When their father retired, Brian and Gary became partners.

Currently, Brian, and Gary’s son Chris, run the operation. Brian’s son Cody, 20, and daughter Carina, 12, and Chris’ children Samantha, 13, Gabby, 8, Taylor, 6 and Carrie, 3 also pitch in, from helping in the store to cutting cheese in the factory. “Carrie pretty much just eats cheese curds when she comes to the store,” Chris said with a chuckle.

“Cody’s been helping out his whole life,” said his father, Brian. Currently, he’s in college. “I don’t know if he’ll come back to business or not. That’s up in the air.”

Early on, Gary and father Howard bought the Cloverleaf cheese factory on Highway 57 and ran that until 1974 when it was converted to a retail store. Currently, Chris and his wife Ann run that location while Brian and his wife Tina run the retail store on County S between Sturgeon Bay and Algoma.

Of course cheddar cheese is their mainstay, but in order to stay competitive with the larger factories – the big guys – Renard’s has had to focus on such specialty cheeses like Apple Harvest Cheddar and Chili Lime Cheddar.

And of course, cheese curds, a Northeast Wisconsin favorite. Cheese curds, with their telltale squeak when chewed, are essentially very fresh cheese – the fresher the better. While the curds are usually pressed and aged to achieve the familiar flavor of cheddar, the freshly cut curds from the day’s cheese making are a delicacy.

While some cheeses can take years to age, turning milk into basic curds only takes about four hours, said Brian. And they make a lot. Renard’s goes through about 75,000 pounds of milk every week – turning out about 7,500 pounds of cheese.

Ask Howard, and he’ll tell you that’s pretty much how they did it 50 years ago. Not a lot has changed.

Having a good reputation is part of their success. After 50 years, the name Renard’s is synonymous with cheese. “We’re a family business and we treat everyone who works here like family,” said Chris. It shows. In January of this year, the company had two openings for new employees and had over 100 applicants And, having quality product is also important. The proof is in the pudding – or curd, so to speak.

After all these years, is it possible to get tired of it? “No,” said Brian. “I eat the cheese every day for lunch.”