I wasn’t able to visit this cheese plant during my recent trip to South Dakota, but now you and I can learn all about the history of this plant in the new coffee table book, “Valley Queen Cheese: The Birth and Growth of An American Dream.”

The company employs 150 people from Milbank and surrounding areas and continues to grow, said Mark Leddy, CEO of the plant. It produces more than 80 million pounds of cheese products a year, and is a major supplier of natural cheese to Kraft Foods. The plant was founded by two Swiss immigrants, Alfred Gonzenbach and Alfred Nef.

“People should have patience with their endeavors. It’s a bit like cheese: it takes time to age, to come to its perfect state.”