[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 5, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MANWARING CHEESE

 Mr. RISCH. Madam President, Idaho small businesses are the 
backbone of our economy and our communities. These small businesses not 
only employ friends and neighbors, but they showcase Idaho's creativity 
and values. Idaho small businesses provide invaluable goods and 
services and are an intrinsic element of the Gem State. These small 
businesses deserve to be celebrated for the integral role they play in 
our communities. I am proud to relaunch Support Local Gems, a statewide 
initiative, on June 7, to encourage Idahoans to support the small 
businesses that make the Gem State special. As a member and former 
chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to honor Manwaring Cheese as one of 
Idaho's Small Businesses of the Month for June 2024.
  Basil Manwaring opened Manwaring Cheese in Ashton in 1955. Basil grew 
up on a dairy farm, working with his father Arthur and siblings to 
deliver milk on a horse-pulled dairy wagon. Basil met his wife Edna at 
a creamery in Blackfoot and later attended Utah State University, where 
he managed the school dairy--made ice cream, cheese, and butter. After 
graduating, Basil returned to Idaho to work for the Nelson-Ricks 
Creamery in Rexburg until he purchased the plant in Ashton.
  The Manwarings operated the plant in Ashton for 16 years before 
building a new facility in Rigby in 1971. Basil passed away in 1972, 
but Edna and their children maintained operations through the late 
1980s. In 2011, Basil's son, Blake, carried on the Manwaring's dairy 
appreciation and opened a new location in Rigby. Manwaring Cheese 
relocated to its current location in Idaho Falls in 2019, where it 
continues to provide great grilled cheeses, ice cream, cheese curds, 
and more.
  Congratulations to the Manwarings and all of the employees at 
Manwaring Cheese for being selected as an Idaho Small Business of the 
Month for June 2024. You are an outstanding example of what it means to 
be one of Idaho's Local Gems. You make our great State proud, and I 
look forward to your continued growth and success.

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