How we make cheese
Our milk is first thermized (for 20 seconds at 68 degrees Celsius) before it flows into a tub (with a capacity of 2000 liters). When it´s almost full, we add a culture. When the tub is full, the rennet is stirred into the milk to thicken it. After 45 minutes, the whole tub of milk has tickened up. Using long knives, the thick substance is cut into strips first and then into pieces. These pieces are then called “curds”. Once the curds are fine enough, we are left with two components: curds and whey.
We ultimately use the curds to make cheese. The whey is a byproduct, which is rich in lactose (milk sugar). We don’t want this amount of lactose in our cheese as it would make our cheese too acidic. Therefore, we drain off a portion of the whey and add hot water to the remainding substance and let it stir for 20 minutes. This process releases more lactose from the curds into the whey. For the second time we tap off a portion of it and then add hot water once again, letting it stir for another 20 minutes. Fun fact: the whey is fed to the calves on farm as it contains not only lactose but also a fair amount of protein and fats!
After these wash cycles, the curds have a finer texture, resembling soft granules. These curds are then removed from the tub with a net which is placed in barrels. A suitable lid is placed onto the barrel, and it is put under a press. While pressing, the net around the cheeses creates a rind on the outer layer of the cheese.
In the evening these fresh cheeses go into a brine bath. Large cheeses remain in the brine for nearly 3 days. After they are taken out of the brine, we let the cheeses dry right above the bath. area. That same day the cheeses are placed on the shelf (in the cheese storage room). Once dry, a plastic coating is applied on the top and the sides for several days. After 6 weeks of aging, this cheese is considered “Young Cheese,” and it becomes “Matured” after six months.
