It may sound cheesy to say success requires a mixture of hard work and innovation. But, back in the early ‘80s, George and Charles Crave knew they'd need that combination to escape the volatility of the dairy commodity market.
Dairy farmers were — and still are — at the mercy of the federal government, which sets milk prices on a monthly basis. It was a hard way for the brothers and their families to live, not knowing what they'd be making from one month to the next. Eventually, they decided to take the leap into cheese production, recalls George.
It was 2000 and George's wife, Debbie, was reluctant to leave her job with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board to help expand the family business.
However, after doing a lot of research on the market and connecting with industry experts, she eventually came around.
“At first, I said no, but then no became maybe,” Debbie says. Soon after, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese was born.
The Crave brothers learned the dairy business from their father, Bob, who operated a dairy farm outside of Beloit, Wis. In 1978, George and Charles purchased their Waterloo, Wis., dairy farm and in 1980 began the operation that would transform into Crave Brothers. Two more of their siblings, Mark and Tom, joined the business in 1981. The cheese factory opened in 2001.
In 2015, the third generation of dairy workers in the family became involved in the ownership of Crave Brothers. There are currently 11 family members working in the business. Brian Crave, son of George and Debbie, is a licensed cheesemaker on the factory side of the business and there are three other NextGen owners on the farm side. But the Craves are quick to point out that a successful family business also depends on the leadership and hard work of its 80 non-family staff members between the cheese factory and farm.
After gaining significant momentum in 2003, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese now sells cheese across the country and recently finalized a deal to export its products to Mexico, says general manager Mark Crave, who is the only brother still overseeing the company on a day-to-day basis.
According to Mark, the company now has 2,200 cows and produces 5 million pounds of cheese per year of various types, including mozzarella, cheddar cheese curds and mascarpone.
‘Thinking Older'
George says it was a milestone birthday that got him thinking about preparing the next generation to take over.
“When you turn 50, you start thinking older,” George says. “I said, ‘Guys, look around the room; we're not curly redhaired kids anymore.'”
So, they engaged an advisor to make sure the next generation would be ready to take the reins when the time came.
“The money part, if you're running a successful business, is easy. The leadership, the transition is the big challenge,” George says.
The advisor meets periodically with the family and coaches the rising generation on successful leadership.
“Part of being a leader is knowing when to step back and put someone else in a key position,” George says.
George and Debbie now work as brand ambassadors for Crave Brothers after retiring as president and vice president, respectively.
Studied Succession
Two of the successors to the cheese empire are Roseanne Crave, daughter of George and Debbie, and Beth Crave, daughter-in-law of Charles. Beth, 41, is the director of quality assurance and Roseanne, 26, is the sales and marketing manager. Beth has worked in the family business for 18 years, starting with answering phones, while Roseanne joined Crave Brothers after gaining outside experience in another cheese business.
Beth and Roseanne face their coming responsibilities as company leaders with confidence.
“We've had great leaders to teach us,” Beth says. “The founders have been great teachers and great role models, which has set a great foundation for us to continue building this business as it grows.”
She also credits a collaborative approach to running the business between the family members with fostering an environment where everyone feels heard.
Roseanne adds that working with the succession coach to establish a clear vision for the company's future and to help implement plans to achieve those goals has been critical.
“Beth and I also have independent coaching sessions, and we can get advice for how to handle a certain situation or professional development that we want to work on,” Roseanne says. “We find it beneficial.”
As for the future, they see no reason to mess with success.
“We want to continue to grow and continue making high-quality cheese,” Roseanne says.