Wisconsin produces more specialty cheese than any other state and crafts more than 600 types, styles, and varieties. Yet despite nearly two centuries of heritage and global awards, Wisconsin Cheese still battles a limiting stereotype: it is widely known, but not always viewed as premium or culturally aspirational. The “cheesehead” image, while iconic, often overshadows the sophistication and artistry of Wisconsin’s world-class cheesemakers.
Proudly Wisconsin Cheese® (PWC), the consumer-facing brand of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW), exists to elevate awareness and appreciation of Wisconsin cheesemakers and the quality of their products. As an agricultural association that does not manufacture or sell cheese directly, PWC must drive cultural relevance by inserting Wisconsin Cheese into influential moments beyond traditional food and trade spaces.
The Kentucky Derby, one of America’s most prestigious, fashion-forward, and food-centric sporting events, offered a rare, high-impact opportunity to reposition Wisconsin Cheese as premium craftsmanship within one concentrated cultural moment. The objective of the Rinds & Roses Clubhouse was to fundamentally shift perception by placing Wisconsin Cheese in an environment where craftsmanship, culture, and luxury are not only celebrated, but expected.
The driving idea was to treat cheesemaking as a craft on par with fashion and design and to showcase it through an immersive, sensory experience worthy of the Derby stage. Rather than relying on traditional food marketing, Proudly Wisconsin Cheese embedded itself organically into Derby culture, creating moments that felt elegant, authentic, and highly shareable.
The goal: reframe Wisconsin Cheese from everyday staple to cultural luxury, driving social participation, earning national attention, and generating measurable retail demand.
The Rinds & Roses activation was built as an earned-first experiential campaign designed to make Wisconsin Cheese feel native to the Kentucky Derby, not as a sponsor, but as a curator of taste, craftsmanship, and culture.
The Kentucky Derby audience closely mirrored our target consumer. With more than 5.5 tons of food served annually, celebrity chefs, and 100+ executive chefs, the Derby is as much a culinary showcase as it is a cultural spectacle, making it a credible stage for premium storytelling. That rare intersection of experience-driven consumers and national media attention made the Derby the ideal platform to elevate Wisconsin Cheese from stereotype to sophistication.
Execution followed a four-phase strategy:
Phase 1: Build Cultural Intrigue (Pre-Derby)
We introduced cheese as couture through the Rinds & Roses “Fromaginator Collection" created in partnership with celebrated Derby milliner Christine A. Moore. The handcrafted fascinators, featuring hand-painted and hand-built Wisconsin cheese themes, paired two crafts: millinery and cheesemaking. The collection sparked early earned media by reframing Wisconsin Cheese as artistry.
Phase 2: Create the Media Moment (Derby Week)
Visibility peaked when celebrity chef and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons wore the hero Fromaginator on the Derby red carpet. The look was later named one of PEOPLE’s Best Dressed and US Weekly’s “Most Memorable Celebrity Headwear,” featured in an E! News Instagram story, and included in a Yahoo Sports Instagram reel spotlighting the day’s most interesting hats, positioning Wisconsin Cheese inside fashion and entertainment culture.
Phase 3: Drive Participation & Amplification (On-Site Experiential)
At Churchill Downs, we delivered the premium experiential centerpiece: the Rinds & Roses Clubhouse. Guests stepped into a visually striking, Derby-inspired space layered with florals, fashion-forward details, and a curated tasting journey featuring 15 artisan Wisconsin cheeses. Designed to be as photogenic as it was flavorful, the Clubhouse quickly became a social hotspot, with more than 12,000 guests sampling and sharing their experience in real time. From close-up cheese pulls to wide shots of couture-inspired décor, the space generated a steady stream of organic posts, stories, and influencer content that extended the moment far beyond the track.
We also debuted the Wisconsin Cheese Cart, a roving, camera-ready experience that brought elevated tastings directly to 2,000+ VIP guests in private suites. The Cart became an unexpected delight and a must-capture moment, sparking conversation, driving social buzz, and fueling influencer coverage and attendee-generated content throughout Derby weekend. What happened inside Churchill Downs didn’t stay there; it traveled across feeds, stories, and headlines nationwide.
Phase 4: Reinforce Demand Through Access (Retail + Partnerships)
To connect cultural excitement to purchase, we extended the activation into Louisville-area Kroger and Murray’s Cheese locations with themed displays and in-market support. We also partnered with iconic Kentucky institutions, including The Brown Hotel (which featured Wisconsin Cheese in its famed Hot Brown for the entire month of May) and the Barnstable Brown Gala—one of the “Top 10 Parties in the World” (Condé Nast)—where award-winning Wisconsin Cheese was served to celebrity guests.
The Rinds & Roses Clubhouse exceeded every objective, creatively, culturally, and commercially, proving the power of experiential storytelling done right.
What began as a one-weekend activation became a national cultural moment:
6.7 million video views and 29,000+ social engagements, surpassing engagement benchmarks by more than 25x.
34.3 million potential UGC reach, driven by organic sharing from guests, unpaid influencers, media outlets, and fans at home.
$16 million in earned media value, more than 3x the original goal.
305 national media placements, including People, USA Today, and Us Weekly — with 75% featuring Wisconsin Cheese in the headline and 90% reinforcing key messages around craftsmanship and quality.
1.1 billion impressions, transforming a physical experience into mass-reach cultural relevance.
On-site, 12,000+ guests sampled 15 artisan Wisconsin cheeses, delivering participation at scale in one of the country’s most premium environments.
Most importantly, the experience moved product. In 15 Louisville-area Kroger and Murray’s Cheese locations, Wisconsin Cheese saw an average 46% sales increase during Derby week, with standout SKUs posting gains of over 40%, proving the campaign didn’t just generate buzz, it generated demand.
By immersing consumers in a refined, joyful, and unexpected experience, Proudly Wisconsin Cheese didn’t just earn attention, it earned belief. Guests didn’t walk away thinking differently about an event; they walked away thinking differently about Wisconsin Cheese.
