Introducing Rueben Nilsson
We caught Rueben at his desk catching up on emails. Keep up the good work, Rueben!
Please join us in welcoming Rueben Nilsson to the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery team. Rueben joins us as our Menomonie Director of Operations. He comes to us with 15 years of cheese production experience having previously worked for Caves of Faribault-Prairie Farms Dairy and The Lone Grazer Creamery.
Rueben’s focus is on keeping the Menomonie facility running efficiently. Most of his day is spent checking on production processes and working with the plant’s department heads to address issues and head off any problems before they happen. Being a new plant, there’s a fair amount of troubleshooting that takes place each day.
“I feel like I’ve reverted to learning instead of being an expert,” says Rueben as he comments on his time working in Menomonie. “I’m working with different cheeses, equipment, and cheesemaking tools than at any of my previous jobs, which means new challenges every day. It’s been exciting.”
Another important part of Rueben’s role is forward planning. He is continually evaluating and planning for how best to increase production and add additional efficiencies all while keeping quality high. His goal is ensuring the plant is achieving its full potential and poised to meet future demand for the products made there.
“We’re thrilled to have Rueben and his years of expertise in artisan cheesemaking join us,” says Paul Bauer. “His experience will be an asset to our senior management team, and he will be a great addition to the Menomonie community.”
We’re looking forward to seeing Rueben’s continued growth and contributions in his career with ECC!
