Member Profiles

The Power of Cheese
by Meagan Moellers

Ever wondered what 20,000 pounds of milk, one New Zealander, a few vats, several dedicated employees and a little fermentation time could make? In the case of our area's newest value added ag enterprise, it's blue cheese. Award winning blue cheese!

Having been in the planning and building stages for the past five years, Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative is finally up and running with power supplied by your own local electric cooperative. It all started when Amish dairy farmers joined together to form a cooperative that would ensure a market for their milk. Like any new business, there were some bumps in the road. But fortunately, Neville McNaugton, a New Zealander with world-class cheese making credentials, was hired to facilitate the process.

The blue cheese making process itself is quite unique.
Every day, members of 45 Amish families milk their small herds by hand and fill traditional stainless steel milk cans for transport to Golden Ridge Cooperative. Upon arrival, Plant Supervisor Jim Norton and his staff begin the cheese making process.

• The cream is separated and homogenized which keeps it from separating when blended back with the milk.
• Once the processed milk has become curds and whey, the cheese curds are separated and transferred to temperature controlled vats.
• The cheese is transported from the vats where temperatures are closely monitored.
• Employees distribute it into stainless steel containers called "wheels" where the cheese hardens as it sets overnight at room temperature.
• The cheese is transported to another room where it is placed in a large pool of salt brine for 24-48 hours. A solution is applied to the outside of the cheese to prevent molding and it is set out to dry.
• Another machine pierces the cheese so that the Blue cheese "starter" and air can be introduced.
• The cheese is stored at precise temperatures in two different coolers for more than 30 days. Only then is it ready to be packaged and shipped to all parts of the country. It will now carry the private label of the Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative, Schwarz and Weiss or black and white. Of course, this cheese along with other popular blends can be purchased in the gift shop at the cooperative. Also available are baskets and other handcrafted Amish items.

The development of natural rind blue cheese requires the dedicated hand of a skilled cheesemaker, time and careful management of the aging process. But don't forget that it also takes an uninterrupted supply of electricity not only to produce the cheese but to maintain the cheese at its peak of perfection! And Hawkeye REC is proud to provide the khW necessary for the Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative to produce its award winning cheese.

In their first year of production, Golden Ridge Cooperative's blue cheese tied for 1st place in the American Cheese Society's annual contest held in Milwaukee.

Cindy Kostohryz, Office Manager

Visit Golden Ridge's website