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Inspiration… Carter was a political-science major at the University of Wisconsin and went to law school at Georgetown University. His wife Jane's father owned Wisconsin's Purity Cheese Company, found- ed in 1936, and asked him to try selling cheese in Washington, D.C. Carter's first foray as a salesman, in the late 1950s, did not go as predicted. At Giant Food Stores' headquarters he was berated for not bringing photos or samples, and not knowing the pricing or anything significant about the cheese. "The president of the organization says, 'I've been here a long time and you're the dumbest salesman I've ever seen,'" he recalls. "I told him, 'You'll never see me again.' I was humili- ated, felt like a total failure." A young man came chasing after him and placed an order for 500 pounds of Purity cheese. "The president saw the look on my face and thought I was suicidal," Carter says. He was better prepared for his next sales call. "At that time everyone thought quality cheese came from Europe and the U.S. could never make great cheese," he says. "My father-in-law was proving it could be done." He eventually became the vice president of sales at Purity and later went into the import-export business, building inter- national cheese centers at supermarkets across the country. Following the sale of Purity, Dan and Jane co-founded Dan Carter, Inc. in 1975, a consulting and sales company based in Mayville. He approached cheese-factory owners and said, "I know how to market cheese, you know how to make good cheese. You manufacture at cost and I'll market at cost and we'll split it 50-50." Company after company signed up for the deal. In 2003, he retired as CEO. Renamed DCI Cheese, the company was later acquired by Saputo, a Montreal-based cheese manufacturer. Impact… After retiring, Carter pushed for an appropriations bill in the Senate to subsidize Wisconsin dairy and specialty cheese manu- facturers. In 2004, he helped found the Dairy Business Innovation Center, an organization that aided more than 200 small, dairy-related businesses with technical and marketing assistance. "My father was a dentist who taught us about outreach and kindness," Carter explains of his efforts. "Someone would call him in the middle of the night with a toothache and I'd go out with him on house calls." By emulating his father's example, Carter has taken pleasure in the effects. From 2005 to 2015, there was a 26.6 percent increase in Wisconsin cheese production. Ninety-six percent of the state's dairy farms are family-owned. The Future… Carter is involved in technological developments in the dairy industry and consults with entrepreneurial cheese and ice cream makers. Though life also continues to offer up challenges. He and Jane were in a catastrophic car accident in Fort Lauderdale on February 25, 2016, hitting a tree and ending up in the hospital with severe injuries. "I saw the end of the world coming," he recalls. "We're going to die together and that's okay. We've been partners in this since the beginning." After several surgeries, they are back to their busy lives. "Every day is a gift and you have to give back," Carter says. DANIEL J. CARTER DCI Cheese Daniel J. Carter, of Mayville, Wisconsin, is widely regarded as the driving force behind the creation of the U.S. specialty cheese industry. From 1972–1973 he served as the chair of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (now Specialty Food Association). At 86, he's still in the game as a consultant and advocate for the dairy industry. Carter approached cheese- factory owners and said, "I know how to market cheese, you know how to make good cheese. You manufacture at cost and I'll market at cost and we'll split it 50-50." PHOTOS: DCI CHEESE 38 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com