Building a cheese factory..

[ironglow]

 If you are as old as myself, and live in dairy country, perhaps you can recall seeing the small, local cheese factories..  Well some industries have grown...cheese making included.
    Great Lakes Cheese Inc, bought out a local maker some years ago, and is building a new complex today, on a 250 acre site.

  My son has been retained to send the headquarters in Ohio, weekly drone flights over their efforts, showing progress.  It is far easier and less costly overall, than flying out personnel every week , to keep updated.

  BTW..no "pasteurized process", Mozarella, or Brie here.  Just first class aged Cheddar please..

  See photos below, the highway you see, runs right by the corner where I live..about 4 miles north of this scene.

    Top photo..shows view of entire building site..the green circle in the foreground, is Indian burial ground...and will not be disturbed.

   2nd & 3rd photos.. Folks back in Ohio, wanted good views of overhead pour of footers (new technique?)..here are a couple views.

  These are just individual shots..from an overall video of the whole operation.

[DDZ]

In Holmes county Ohio, where there are a lot of Amish. There are a lot of places that sell cheese.  I was in Millersburg not long ago, and stopped at a cheese house in Berlin. I couldn't believe how much, and how many different kinds of cheese was sold there. Along with a lot of other food goods that were processed, and sold by the Amish. 

[BUGEYE]

I'm a cheese lover, of the basic cheese that you see in Walmart, Monterey Jack is my favorite.
And I buy Laughing Cow brand quite often.
I believe it was Tillamook Oregon, when I drove into town I could smell the cheese factories, it was wonderful.

We toured the Gouda creamery in Gouda Netherlands.
You pronounce the G in Gouda by trying to clear phlegm from the roof of your mouth.

[ironglow]

 Yes, I have visited some of those great Amish cheese stores..the variety (with samples) was very tempting.
One was at Sugar Creek and the other was likely the one you spoke of at Millersburg.

  ..And Bugeye.. I thoroughly enjoyed you description of pronouncing Gouda.   The Germanic languages often require some of that Phlem-clearing action, just to be understood..

  An interesting sidelight..  One of my uncles was with the invading forces that landed at Normandy.  Talking to him and other vets who were still serving in1955, when I first went into the army, I discovered that the language differences became important at place such as Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge) when the Germans sent infiltrators under Col Skorzeny, to screw up our troops.
  Not only did GIs ask pop questions, such as, "who aare "Dem Bums"? (A nick name for the old Brooklyn Dodger)
  butthe GIs would ask the suspected Germans to pronounce words such as "wreath" or "teeth"or the name Keith.
  Germans had trouble with the "TH" sound..always coming out as a pure T..e'g.  "teet" or "Keet".

  Conversely, if the Germans caught a suspeted allied spy...he would be asked to repeat the germn word for the number 88.  Which was "Acht und Achtish"  (sp?)..with that real honker clearing sound...which very few English speakers can duplicate.

[Bob Riebe]

ARHH what are they going to use that much space for?

I have been to a LOT of cheese makers in Wisc. and Minn. and most are a building/s that is no bigger than an old time  car dealers show room and repair shop.
Some are in the equivalent of a old school grade school.

[Buckskin]

Nice gig for your son but they are just a production cheese factory company, they make plenty of processed cheese.  You don't make a gargantuan plant like that to make first class aged cheddar...

[BUGEYE]

Nice gig for your son but they are just a production cheese factory company, they make plenty of processed cheese.  You don't make a gargantuan plant like that to make first class aged cheddar...

Don’t you need a lot of warehouse space to age the cheese??
And big smokers, I do like smoked cheese.

[phalanx]

We once subcontracted on one between Hobbs and Lovington. It was producing for awhile but i don't know if it still does.

[Drilling Man]

  We have some big dairy's around here, one is milking around 5,000 cows, another is at about 4,000 and so, yes there are also a few cheese factories around here too.

  I think there's also a powdered milk facility here too.

  DM

[DDZ]

Yes, I have visited some of those great Amish cheese stores..the variety (with samples) was very tempting.
One was at Sugar Creek and the other was likely the one you spoke of at Millersburg.

The one I was at was in Berlin, just outside of Millersburg. It was Heini's Cheese Chalet. Pretty impressive place. 

[BUGEYE]

Here's a picture of a Kraft cheese factory, and it is big.

[ironglow]

Nice gig for your son but they are just a production cheese factory company, they make plenty of processed cheese.  You don't make a gargantuan plant like that to make first class aged cheddar...

  Don't know the future, but Cuba cheese has a long history here, since it was founded in1871, and has made nothing but Cheddar cheese since then.  https://www.cubacheese.com/about.html
   
   Why would you think the nation couldn't use that much cheddar?  NY, Vermont and Wisconsin are all pouring out millions of pounds of the stuff every year..

  Great Lakes Cheese, who bought out Cuba Cheese some years ago, is a large producer..perhaps they make the process stuff at another location.  With that behind them there would be no need to mix product lines.

  Their cheese shop sells many kinds of cheeses, but to my knowledge, they only make cheddar.

[ironglow]

According to tis report, one Cabot plant in in Middlebury, Vermont produces 70 millions of cheddar annually.

  My old Army buddy, who lives near Brandon, has stopped milking cows now, but he used to ship to Cabot.

  Actually, the US produced 13.25 billion pounds of cheddar in 2020.  So I doubt this new plant will do anything but aid in maintaining that level.
 https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/livestock/dairy/cheese-industry-profile
    After all, as TM pointed out, some areas are experiencing a downturn in the number of farms.  Of course, some of the smaller farms have been swallowed up by the larger farms.

[ironglow]

After posting this morning, and then heading off to church, I set out a small block of McAdam cheddar..and at this moment, am savoring the flavor, which is best at room temperature.   ...Ambrosia !

  McAdam is made in Chateaugay, NY..way up, hard on the Quebec border.  They make a fine product.

  https://www.mccadam.coop/

     I say that while being a dedicated fan of Goldenage cheddar, made in Woodhull, NY., almost on the Pennsylvania border.  Goldenage is a very small  firm, supplied primarily by local Amish farmers.

  https://goldenagecheese.com/

[BUGEYE]

I've eaten cheese made with about every kind of milk except a camel.
And I'd try that if I could find it around here.

When I make a cheese omelet or potato soup I generally use sharp cheddar, but eating with crackers I choose mild.

When I was a teen me and my Dad would eat cheese, crackers, and ring bologna about every night before bedtime.

[DDZ]

When I was a teen me and my Dad would eat cheese, crackers, and ring bologna about every night before bedtime.

Cheese, crackers, and a beer are my favorite snack.

[BUGEYE]

When I was a teen me and my Dad would eat cheese, crackers, and ring bologna about every night before bedtime.

Cheese, crackers, and a beer are my favorite snack.

I had always preferred coke, but lately I drink beer when I eat, it calms my tremors a little and keeps me from slinging crackers all over the floor. 

[Buckskin]

All this cheese talk has made me craving some sharp cheddar and I remembered I had this in my fridge from Christmas.  Going to have a bit this evening before dinner and yeah, a beer or 2 along with it.  This cheese is very good, does not cut worth a darn, just crumbles and has little salty crystals in it from the aging process - a treat to say the least/

Bavaria House does a release every New Year's that correlated to what year it is, so this last year it was a 22-year-old sharp cheddar.  You would think that it wouldn't be much different than the 10, but it is a very noticeable difference, hard to describe.

[Ranger99]

Can't remember exactly where I
read it.  Somebody was reminiscing
about being a kid and all of the
group of whoever was at a general
store and a chunk of red rind longhorn
cheese and saltines and cans of
tomatoes and sardines was purchased,
and they all went around back of
the store ( or somewhere) and
sat on the ground and was eating
all that.
One of the kids said " If I ever
strike it rich,  I'm gonna eat like
this every day.  . ."

[ironglow]

All this cheese talk has made me craving some sharp cheddar and I remembered I had this in my fridge from Christmas.  Going to have a bit this evening before dinner and yeah, a beer or 2 along with it.  This cheese is very good, does not cut worth a darn, just crumbles and has little salty crystals in it from the aging process - a treat to say the least/

Bavaria House does a release every New Year's that correlated to what year it is, so this last year it was a 22-year-old sharp cheddar.  You would think that it wouldn't be much different than the 10, but it is a very noticeable difference, hard to describe.

  Seeing a Cheddar cheese under the brand name of "Bavaria", evoked a sense of irony  since Cheddar chese had it's origin in Cheddar, Somerset, England and has been produced there since medieval times.  Cheddar was a natural for cheese production, since it has numerous local caves.

     I have long tried to understand how a cheese maker can profit anything from such aged cheese, considering how much one would get in interest for his money over a 22 year period.

  My favorite, Goldenage cheddar has that crumbly texture..one of the things which I appreciate about it !

  An interesting, historical sidelight from Cheddar, England.  A couple decades ago, while exploring deeply into the cheddar caves, some human bones were discovered...and dated to 9,000 years ago.
   Since families on that side of the pond seem to remain longer in a given locale than do many here, and since they did extract a DNA sample from the bones...scientists decided to see if any of that DNA was present in today's residents.  Many cooperated with the tests, and one man was found to be a descendant of the bones, he being a local teacher.
  Right off, he was tagged with the nickname, "Cheddar Man"..

  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-family-link-that-reaches-back-300-generations-to-a-cheddar-cave-1271542.html

[Bob Riebe]

IG, or any of you cheese eaters, have you tried a variety of the cheeses, from the other side of the pond?

Back when my taste buds worked properly, I used to go to cheese stores that carried, cheese from over seas, and as some of you who served in the military overseas may already know, it is very different (usually) form what is made in the U.S. of A.
Some Cheddar actually has a hot bite to it, and other vareities heading close to Germania are of the mellow style that used to be the only style available in the States before cheese became a latest greatest foo-foo food, or the only use, beside butter, for canned milk. (When there still was canned milk.)

Now foreign butter, that is a good for a different thread.

[Buckskin]

     I have long tried to understand how a cheese maker can profit anything from such aged cheese, considering how much one would get in interest for his money over a 22 year period.

Well, it sells for $80/lb...  And the 10-year-old cheddar is $18.  I'm not sure what their regular aged cheddar goes for but I'm sure similar to others, if I go in there I usually get the 4-year-old cheddar as that's when it starts getting really good.  They are also phenomenal at making German sausages and such.

[DDZ]

A cheese that is often referred to as the king of cheeses, is Parmigiano Reggiano. Its probably my favorite, and only comes from a certain area in Italy. Parma, Reggio Emilia, Moderna, Bologna, and Mantua.  The milk from a couple breeds of cows must be used. Friesian, and Vacche. Fodder for feeding the cows must come from the mountains in those specific areas.  defined rules must b followed for making the cheese. Its made with the same natural ingredients that were used 900 years ago, and has to be aged at least a year. Longer aged cheese go up in price, and is better the longer its aged.  18, 24, 36, 48, 60 72, and 84 months.   The going price right now for around 2 pounds of 72 month aged cheese is $90. 

[TrumpWon]

My daughter was living in the Netherlands and I went to visit. Went to a cheese shop in Amsterdam. They got all their cheese directly from small farmers. Stuff was so good I ended up buying over 30 lbs of assorted cheeses. Barely fit in my pack. Guys at customs were very impressed with my haul

[Buckskin]

My daughter was living in the Netherlands and I went to visit. Went to a cheese shop in Amsterdam. They got all their cheese directly from small farmers. Stuff was so good I ended up buying over 30 lbs of assorted cheeses. Barely fit in my pack. Guys at customs were very impressed with my haul

That is what I was referring to above.  Great Lakes Cheese is a production cheese maker, not a fine cheese maker.  Nothing wrong with that at all, what most people want and eat, but the small producers are what make the best cheese and are willing to put it in the chiller for up to several decades.

[ironglow]

Yes, Great Lakes Cheese is a large corporation, with many branches. That doesn't mean they only produce run-of-the-mill cheeses.  Not all large corporations, just produce cheap, large production products.

  For example...Daimler AG makes the Smart Car, they also make the finest examples of the  Mercedes Benz..

  My favorite, the Goldenage, is a very small firm.  Here is the main building and store..with the aging facilities out back.  They have some cheddar that is so old, it is called Jurassic.  I have tried some, but still prefer their standard product.   https://www.corningfingerlakes.com/listing/golden-age-cheese-co/458/.

  Yes Bob, when I lived in Europe for 2 & 1/2 years, I tried some of their cheeses.  In Europe for instance, a popular cheese is called Emmentaler, which is basically, Swiss cheese..

  I sampled stuff at festivals..and still prefer Cheddar.  I find that there is much ado about "snob appeal"..

   I suppose if I were a small maker a bit of a "promoter', and I needed to make big money from a limited production product...I would spin a long-winded tale about the local color and how my product benefits from idiosyncrasies that others cannot duplicate.
  My favorite Cheddar comes from a comparatively small firm.. but their milk comes from the immediately surrounding farms..mostly Amish.
  If I owned the company and was of the "promoter" turn of mind, i could go onwith a tale as follows..

    " We use only the finest milk, from Holstein-Friesan cows..lovingly treated and every one hand milked by pious Amish farmers, who take personal interest in every cow.
  These cows graze upon the beautiful hills of the southern tier of New York State, far away from any city hustle and bustle.  The grass they graze upon has just the right PH balance ..being nurtured by limestone below the sub soil.  Rainfall is quite consistent, providing the uniform supply of nutrients.
    Coming from Amish farms, the winter fodder is mostly organic grown..insuring confidence in every bite."

  I have noticed that Europeans tend to add "legend" to their products..  I just allow my taste buds to judge between good-better-best, when it comes to cheeses..  After all, why pay $80 for 15 year old cheese, when the 3 year aged product tastes much better to me?

[Bob Riebe]

I like fresh cheese , the kind the squeeks when you bite into it; decades back, when Minn. was giving free gov. cheese, I got one 5lb brick of Mozzarella that I could , from the end, peal and eat like string cheese, best I ever had.

[ironglow]

Cuba cheese...the one the new factory is being built for, puts up some of their curds in clear plastic container that is shaped like cottage cheese box...then they toss in a bit of whey to go with it..close to getting it right fresh out of the hopper..

  I recall back when one could go to the local cheese factory, and get squeaky/rubbery curd right out of the curdling vats.

[ironglow]

  A farm family that lives over toward Letchworth park, has built a new operation at Perry, NY.

They use strictly milk from their own farm..1,000 acres, 1300  cows.
  https://easthillcreamery.com/

  They are very careful to build a legend about their product, hired  cheese maker from France, an dbuilt a hill behind their creamery..which they built aging caves in.

  I've tried their cheese..it's OK..but McAdam, Cuba or especially Goldenage beats it, at least for my taste.

[Buckskin]

Fresh cheese curds squeaks, can find them all around Wisconsin.  They usually can be found at gas stations near a plant where they deliver daily sitting on the checkout counter. They need to be fresh and room temperature to squeak and have that flavor.