CENTER FOR DAIRY RESEARCH DAIRY PIPELINE A TECHNICAL RESOURCE FOR DAIRY MANUFACTURERS FALL 2019 | VOL. 31, No. 3 A COLLABORATION FOR THE AGES: HOARD’S DAIRYMAN FARM CREAMERY PARTNERS WITH CDR AND CHEESEMAKERS TO CREATE UNIQUE CHEESES What do you get when you take the knowledge and skill Sandy Speich, Director of Hoard’s Dairyman Farm of Wisconsin cheesemakers and the Center for Dairy Creamery, said they wanted to make cheeses that Research (CDR) and combine it with high-quality showcase the qualities of the farm’s Guernsey milk. Guernsey milk from Hoard’s Dairyman Farm? The “It’s higher in fat, higher in protein so you get a much answer appears to be some really great, unique cheese. better yield,” Speich said. “The cheese is very creamy and buttery from all the fat and it’s also high in beta In the Fall of 2018, Hoard’s carotene, so it gives you a nice Dairyman Farm Creamery golden-yellow color.” released Belaire, a Port Salut-style cheese. The Hoard’s Belaire has been Dairyman Farm well received, Creamery earning a top website 10 finish in describes the the semi-soft Belaire as cheese category having a pale- at the 2019 yellow interior United State highlighted with Championship a distinctive bright Cheese Contest and orange rind. Its winning a gold medal high-fat content gives this summer at the Green the cheese a creamy, County Fair. subtle flavor and soft texture. It’s described as being similar to Muenster but with In addition to Belaire, Hoard’s Dairyman Farm a bolder, creamier taste. Creamery has released two more cheeses in 2019: St. Saviour, a Camembert-style cheese; and Castel, a The St. Saviour, a Camembert-style cheese, has a rich, Manchego-style cheese. buttery flavor from a soft, creamy core inside a bloomy white rind. The Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery website recommends that both the core and the rind be DAIR R Y R enjoyed together for the “true St. Saviour experience.” O E F S What's Inside: R E E A ♦ T R Dairy ingredients functionality, page 4 The Castel, a Manchego-style cheese, has a golden N C E H ♦ Starter cultures, page 6 C interior with a distinctive brown rind. It’s a slightly ♦ Updated: Properties of Chemical Sanitizers, page 9 ♦ Dairy Business Innovation Alliance, page 10 sweet cheese with notes similar to those found in aged ♦ CDR welcomes new employees, page 10 Gouda and Parmesan. It has a drier body that makes CDR ♦ FDA testing raw milk cheeses, page 11 it easy to grate but it also stands up on its own as a ♦ Smukowski elected ACS president, page 11 flavorful table cheese. Like the other cheeses, it also has the rich, creamery flavor associated with high-fat Guernsey milk. Æ B University of Wisconsin – Madison, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences b The names of the cheeses pay homage to the Isle of Guernsey, an island off the Northern coast of France, which is the home of the Guernsey cow. Belaire is named after the naval captain who brought the first Guernsey cattle to America. Castel and St. Saviour are parishes on FARM CREAMERY the Isle of Guernsey. FO I RT , W Steeped in History ATKINSON As many in the dairy industry know, Hoard’s Dairyman Farm is steeped in history. The lineage of some of the unique golden color. “Guernseys do not break down the Guernsey cows on the farm can be traced back to W.D. beta carotene that’s in the feed,” Mode said. “So, you get Hoard’s original herd that was established in 1899. The that beautiful golden color in the milk and cheese. In fact, herd is the longest continually registered Guernsey herd Guernsey milk used to be prized for making butter.” in North America. According to the Hoard’s Dairyman website, the herd ranks number 1 in the nation for milk, CDR’s TURBO program was also able to assist with the fat and protein in the category of 100 or more cows. The project. Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery applied for American Guernsey Association has also recognized and received a $20,000 reimbursement grant to purchase Hoard’s Dairyman Farm as the Top Commercial Herd. cheese forms and other cheesemaking equipment. The grant was awarded through a $200,000 reimbursable grant program administered jointly by the CDR TURBO program and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). Working with Wisconsin Cheesemakers Initially, Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery had a goal of building its own cheese factory, but those plans have been set aside as they’ve had success partnering with exceptional Wisconsin cheesemakers. Ben and Bruce Workman at Edelweiss Creamery make the Belaire and Castel cheeses and Jon Metzig at Union Star/Willow Creek Creamery makes the St. Saviour. Bruce Workman Belaire, a Port Salut-style cheese from Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery. and Jon Metzig are Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers. With all that quality milk available, this isn’t the first time Metzig, who has just completed the first make of the St. Hoard’s Dairyman has made cheese. Hoard’s Dairyman Saviour, said the process went well and added that the magazine used to make cheese to send out at the holidays quality of the milk is a highlight. as a special gift for the magazine’s advertisers. The cheeses were well received, and people asked where they could “I can tell that it's good milk. They do a good job at buy them. Hoard’s Dairyman approached the cheese the [Hoard’s] farm,” he said, adding that quality milk is factory where they made their seasonal cheeses but essential for cheesemaking. “Your cheese can’t be any the factory was in the process of shutting down. That better than the starting product, which is the milk. You was about 30 years ago. Speich said the idea of making can’t make good cheese out of bad milk; it’s not possible.” cheese was always in the back of people’s mind at Hoard’s Dairyman. Then, several years ago, they began working These unique cheeses require a high level of skill to with CDR. produce. Mode pointed out that Ben Workman, who has taken the lead in producing the Castel, makes the “We looked at their milk supply and identified what was cheese in a traditional copper vat. “It’s a real pleasure to special about their Guernsey milk and we used that to watch him make Castel,” Mode said. “It’s very striking inspire our choice of cheese varieties that would really visually – you have the gorgeous golden Guernsey milk showcase that milk,” said Gina Mode, CDR Assistant in that big copper vat. It’s really great to see that kind of Coordinator for Cheese Industry and Applications cheesemaking today.” Group. “That’s always kind of a challenge,” Ben Workman said As mentioned earlier, Guernsey milk has higher fat and of making the cheese in a copper kettle. “We don’t make protein content than other bovine milks. It also has a a lot of other things in it other than Swiss. We had to 2 was developing their own recipe for Port Salut. It was a happy coincidence and the final recipe that is being used today combines elements of both. “What’s currently being made is everything brought together and it’s just a really beautiful cheese,” Mode said. “Since we’ve been making it, it has quickly become one of my favorite cheeses,” Ben Workman said of the Belaire cheese. “I couldn’t be happier with it. It has a nice consistent body and flavor.” Everyone involved in the project admits that it’s been a long time in the making. Various challenges along the way needed to be addressed like the logistics of getting the milk from the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm to the partner cheese plants. In addition, the Castel requires quite a bit of time to age. The St. Saviour (Camembert) also posed some challenges. CDR was searching for a cheesemaker who could add the white mold directly to the milk, rather than spraying it on the rind later in the process. In the end, Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery, CDR and Wisconsin cheesemakers have been able to find solutions to these challenges and it’s a good thing because the final result is some unique cheese. Ben Workman of Edelweiss Creamery (pictured with his children Silas and This project is also special because it draws on some Iliana) won a gold medal this summer at the Green County Fair for the of the resources and expertise that make Wisconsin an Belaire, a Port Salut-style cheese from Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery. extraordinary state when it comes to cheesemaking. be a little more innovative than we’re used to when we First, there’s the milk from Hoard’s Dairyman Farm’s transferred it from the copper kettle to the forms.” historic Guernsey herd. Second, the project showcases the expertise and creativity of Wisconsin Master “Partnering with the Workman’s has been so easy,” Speich Cheesemakers and CDR staff. And third, the project said. “They know what they’re doing. They’re always very benefited from the CDR TURBO Program. The helpful, and they really have been guiding me through project is also showcasing the state's next generation of this whole thing.” Speich added that Jon Metzig has also cheesemakers. been great to work with although he’s “a little “When you start talking about the history of Hoard's more quiet and how W.D.