The Taste of France, Perfected in Wisconsin

Alpinage is a blend of European charm and Midwestern roots. Orphée, a French native, found himself in the heart of Wisconsin at the beginning of 2015. Working a corporate job at the time, he quickly felt a pull toward something different—something that truly captured his new home’s spirit and passion for food and entrepreneurship. That’s when he met Paula, the daughter of a family that had been farming for six generations in Manitowoc county. Paula had grown up surrounded by dairy cows and knew the art of cheese-making, learning over the years under the mentorship of her dad, Jerry. Their relationship blossomed over shared meals and conversations about the rich, local tradition of cheesemaking. Together, Orphée’s curiosity and Paula’s expertise eventually sparked the idea to create a cheese company. Alpinage was born. Today, Alpinage thrives by producing cheeses that showcase the perfect combination of Orphée’s French finesse and Paula’s deep-rooted knowledge, bringing a fresh take on artisanal cheese to the heart of Wisconsin, known as America's dairyland.

Why “Alpinage”?

Pronounced "alp-in-ahj"

alpi-

(like alpine mountains)

-nage

"Affinage" (cheese aging)

Meet the Team

orphee

Orphée Paillotin

Just a French dude, passionate about entrepreneurship and food science, that decided to start a cheese company, literally from scratch, in 2021. A couple of years later, after many trials, scares, wins and losses, Orphée decided to quit his daily (boring!) job to support this cheesy venture that now takes all of his time, brain cells (and savings!) but feeds him with excitement and purpose. He now likes to take pictures surrounded by cheese wheels and nerd out on the art of affinage. Would not want it any different. Cheese on!

paula

Paula Heimerl

Just a Wisconsin gal that grew up on a farm feeding calves, riding horses and eating cheese from her beloved cheesemaker parents. Shortly after moving to the big city of Milwaukee, she met Orphee and groomed him into becoming a cheesemaker very sneakily over the years. Spreading her passion for dairy, she ended up starting Alpinage along with her cheesy companion, supporting him all these years while the two faced many challenges to grow this business from the ground up. She now likes to wash wheels at the cave, travel the country to sample cheese, and spend her free time hiking with her dog that she likes to call her "Master Cheese Taster."

Alpinage Milestones

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