The Paoli Creamery was built along the Sugar River in Paoli, Wisconsin in 1888. The small cheese factory was known for its butter and Swiss cheese.
Nearly 100 years later, in 1980, the factory closed due to changes in the dairy industry. The building eventually became an art gallery and cafe until it was purchased by Nic Mink and Danika Laine Mink in 2021.
The building was added to the State and National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
The Artisan Gallery is pictured in the old Paoli Creamery building in 1997.
The two-level layout of the old Paoli Creamery building was used to display art at Artisan Gallery in Paoli in 2009.
The Creamery Cafe, which doubled as an art gallery is pictured in 2010.
Vert Cafe & Plant Gallery occupied the building for just over one year from 2020-2021.
Former founder of Sitka Salmon Nic Mink and his wife Danika Laine purchased the historic cheese factory building at 6858 Paoli Road in Paoli in September 2021 with plans to start a new business, named Seven Acre Dairy Company, will serve as a dairy cafe, farm-to-table restaurant, boutique hotel, event venue and recreational space.
Gingko Tree Gifts packed up shop at 6858 Paoli Road in preparation for a move to Verona. The space then became Seven Acre Dairy Company.
This area of the former gift shop eventually became the host stand of The Kitchen at Seven Acre Dairy Co.
Co-owners of Seven Acre Dairy Company, Danika Laine and Nic Mink talk about the plans for the space the became the hotel lobby of their new business.
In March 2022, Nic Mink stands in the area that eventually became the lobby of the hotel.
Bricks sealed the former opening for the cheese factory's cream tank. During construction of Seven Acre Dairy Co., the bricks were removed and replaced with a window for one of the hotel rooms.
Construction crews walk in and out of the old Paoli Creamery as they convert it into Seven Acre Dairy Company on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022.
Carpenters stain the bar top in the restaurant area. The bar, shelves and tables are made of wood harvested from the riverfront property at Seven Acre Dairy Company.
Nic Mink unwraps a new art installation of milk bottle photographs by Nikki Hanson as he prepares for the opening of the new business.
Electrical work is done inside of the Dairy Cafe at Seven Acre Dairy Company in December 2022.
The tables in The Kitchen at Seven Acre Dairy Company are made from wood harvested from the property.
The staircase from the hotel to the The Kitchen were installed next to an accessible lift.
The packaging for Paoli Creamery butter is displayed on a history timeline at Seven Acre Dairy Company as the business approaches opening.
A large patio wraps around Seven Acre Dairy Company in Paoli. In warmer weather, the patio will seat 80.
A chandelier made of vintage milk bottles now hangs in the lobby of Seven Acre Dairy Company.
Paul Morrison, founder and owner of The Wood Cycle in Oregon, created an art installation for the Burr Oak Suite using wood from the Seven Acre Dairy Co. property.
The restaurant at Seven Acre Dairy Company in Paoli is called The Kitchen. Owner Nic Mink described the back bar as "farmhouse on acid," built with wood harvested from the property itself.
Server Nathan Cederberg pours two Seven 75 cocktails (gin, elderflower, prosecco) in the bar of The Kitchen.
The menu at The Kitchen features specialty cocktails, beer, wine and after dinner drinks. Pictured is the Door County Bubbler.
A large round window, which was once used as an opening for cream tanks, is now a unique feature of the Creamery Room.
The Dairy Cafe sells locally made products (including those branded by Seven Acre) as well as coffee, breakfast, lunch and soft serve ice cream.
A neon sign hangs on the original creamery tile in the Dairy Cafe.
A timeline depicts the history of the Paoli Creamery and its transformation into Seven Acre Dairy Company in a sitting room near the lobby.
Vintage photographs of Paoli Creamery are displayed in the hotel hallway.
Ben Hunter, who leads The Kitchen with Kyle Kiepert, prepares a salad with fresh greens from Mike Knight's aquaponics farm in Belleville.
Cornmeal encrusted Wisconsin Walleye comes with Landmark Creamery herb butter in The Kitchen.
Roasted beets are served with fresh, local greens and goat cheese in The Kitchen.
Nic Mink, chief restoration officer at Seven Acre Dairy Company, stands on a table while giving a tour to visitors from nearby Epic Systems.
Diners sit down to dinner in The Kitchen at Seven Acre Dairy Company.
