Neville McNaugton, "Dr. Cheese"

When it comes to operating any type of plant, be it a lamb, cow, or cheese operation, the operator will inevitably face the question of why something isn’t working. “Why is my cheese rotting?” “Why is my cow acting so shy?” Or “Why is the humidity so high in this room?”  I can honestly say I have been there too. My experience in the cheese industry is by no means flawless, and mistakes have given me much knowledge and foresight to prepare for problems in advance. By using an established plan for good practices and understanding how to solve problems, I believe anyone can be successful at their operation. 

I started working at Kapiti Cheese Co. in 1983. At the time, New Zealand had been making cheddar for over 100 years and this was the country’s forté. This was the same for the New Zealand Cooperative Rennet Co. While the rest of New Zealand only made cheddar, my new employer was making eight different kinds of natural cheese every day!  I was at an age of craving knowledge and had the “can-do” attitude to experiment with even other cheeses.  There was much support and room for expansion and change, including an extensive company research library, an active Dairy Technology Society, and lots of problems that had little to no answers.

As some of you may know, I am not afraid of problems. Problems, in my opinion, can all be solved. In New Zealand, one response to getting our processes under control was to develop “quality manuals.” In America, one might refer to them as “Standard Operating Procedures”: a step by step process to, for example, build your own desk or tend to a sick animal. It was the book that had answers to almost everything. These were big on farms and cheese plants in New Zealand and paved my thought process for tackling problems. They showed me that problems do have answers. The real challenge was knowing where to look.
Based on that premise, let me now share some basic rules for starting a Cheese Operation.

Rule 1: Good Practices Instill Good Work

Designs for the perfect Cheese Making Environment

You may have to write your own code of conduct, Bible, or “quality manual,” but to truly save your time and become better at understanding your field, I recommend learning from others.  The starting place is to get the generic GMP document from the Dairy Practices Council and modify it for your own use. It is your responsibility as a plant owner and/or operator to be able to write these documents, understand them and know your own situation better than anyone.  Don’t assume you can simply write your own guide.  Write them and have them reviewed by a credible source.  If you need help, CheezSorce would be happy to assist you.

•Allow me to share an example of a bad situation that would not have existed if good practices had been in place: I was contracted to work for a Hispanic Cheese operation that was regularly being infected with Listeria monocytogenes. My job was to figure out how and why this was occurring, but most importantly, figure out how to solve the problem. I discovered that there was no adequate cleaning system in place for the drains. With correct cleaning and sanitation practices, there would simply be no Listeria in the system drains. Additionally, it was important and unfortunate for me to address the fact that their cooling systems were not designed to be cleaned. If the system was infected, there was no solution but to replace it entirely. In this situation, understanding and having protocol for equipment use was imperative to the health of the plant. It became a harsh lesson that we must all beware of what we install, keeping in mind that one bad component could well be the Achilles Heal of a whole system.

Rule 2: Mistakes Will Make You Smarter
As I said, some mistakes are ones you’ve made and some you’ve watched others make.  Whichever the case, reviewing processes, problems and solutions will greatly improve your chances of success. One way of doing this is to review reports of incidents that have occurred in other cheese plants around the world. For me, reviewing reports helps set my answers to problems into an existing framework.

Rule 3: Take Responsibility to Learn

As a new cheese plant operator, you will be challenged to learn many new things. Probably the most challenging role is to fill and uphold the State Inspectors’ expectations of your plant. You will most likely find yourself asking, “How do I find a path through the maze of legal and ‘technical’ requirements?” While there are no clear guidelines, the inspectors will surely tell you what is not going well.  If the problem is truly bad, the FDA may step in to investigate. Of course, this is something we all want to avoid, and the only way to avoid these probabilities is to learn and plan ahead. In short, expect the unexpected.
Another example:  Building a cheese plant requires a thought process that leads to the best decision about what type of materials you may want to use for your walls, be it interior or exterior. I can tell you that wooden construction, sheet rock, and the lack of vapor barriers are all causing many Cheese makers issues and additional expense as their buildings age. Additionally, hollow core walls are great places for roaches and other vermin to live in. Even little things like electrical outlets need careful planning, as they can provide easy access for little critters to enter your facility. To prevent this situation requires the Cheese maker/owner/operator to consult with someone who has experience building a plant. While one may have their thoughts and preferences for what one likes, it is necessary to plan carefully when building a cheese plant. Do not be afraid to learn and ask for help.

To sum things up, when a problem arises it is not acceptable to say, “nobody required or told me to do something differently.” There are always ways to prevent and improve. When planning and developing a cheese plant, you have to take initiative, responsibility, and do your research.  From the making of plant to the making of the cheese, always record data to measure progress and change.

 These three preceding rules are the first set of guidelines I suggest when deciding to enter the cheese business. I hope you will keep them in mind and are fearless in asking questions.  Be prepared and don’t let the State or the Feds be the ones to inform you that your product or plant is insufficient, or worse yet, contaminated. 

Later.
Dr. Cheese

It’s been a week of travel, two weeks actually, late night meetings, much planning, documenting the thought process and re-checking list.  Long lists, walking through the layouts and making sure current best practices are reflected in the design by asking myself, can our building do everything to support current GMP’s (Good Manufacturing Practice)?  The more I find myself involved in planning the more I find I need to know. My new tutor is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  After the round of Listeria and E. coli outbreaks in 2010, the FDA published their reports, reading these reports are an education worth putting time and effort towards.  The FDA does not run classes on how to do things right, but they do come, visit and examine what might not be right such as your products being suspect or proven deficient.  Reading reports puts me in the right frame of mind as an advisor so that when I am asked a question the answer is framed in the right context.

Context is everything, satisfying the local State Inspector is unlikely to avoid the IRE of FDA.  If the only standard you have to meet is State driven you might think you are OK, but if a problem occurs with your product it is possible the FDA is going to be involved.  So how is the new entrant able to find a path through the maze of legal and “technical” requirements?

If you are operating at the State level these requirements are typically available from a local State body responsible for your facility.  What is not written in these requirements is much of what you need to know.  They are typically outdated, were in place long before many of the issues we are dealing with today were known, they possibly assume an undefined level of knowledge on the part of the reader.

What is the role of regulation, what is the responsibility of the State, what is the responsibility of the operator, how do we avoid problems?
Later.

Dr. Cheese

Neville McNaughton (aka Dr. Cheez) – “When I was twelve taking milk to the local cheese factory in a 1950’s Morris Commercial truck, I had no idea I was looking at my future: a life of curds, whey and culture.  Within 15 years of the closing of that cheese plant, a partner and I became pioneers and started our own successful cheese factory in New Zealand.  During that time, I made several visits to the USA.  When I came to stay in 1986, I fell luckily into an era in US Cheese making which would become my destiny.  Passionate about good (i.e. real) food, a love of people, and a curiosity for understanding,  I strive to understand why groups and societies act as they do.”

Dr. Cheez would like to think of himself as a Cheez philosopher, pragmatic, in context and patient enough to help those who are yet to get it.  Like all good doctor’s Dr. Cheez practices his art, pays homage to the greats that have gone before him, and seeks to share with those who are still to come.  In an un-sustainable world creating a model that everyone can follow would be the greatest legacy.  “But as all motorcyclists know it is the journey that counts, the most worthwhile legacy will be the shared knowledge that makes it easier for those who follow us, a better curve, something to savour….”

The result of this philosophy was the creation of CheezSorce.

And on a very personal note:  “As Americans, you and I the voters give away our privileges/rights to faceless corporations and disloyal politicians.  As a very serious and literal person, I have found the best friends to be those who transcend their daily roles and quietly work towards a lasting and sustainable future.  While not all can abandon the corporate ship they can at least support the goal of sustainability.”

Sincerely,

Dr. Cheez

You’re going to wish you had been there, but luckily there’s always next year!

CheezSorce is proud to have hosted this St. Louis Event, “Celebrating American Artisan Cheeses,” in Conjunction with the ACS’ First Annual American Cheese Month.    When and where? On Wednesday, October 26, from 6-9 p.m. at the beautiful Vino Gallery  in St. Louis’ Central West End.

"Celebrating American Artisan Cheeses" at Vino Gallery

The event was held in conjunction with the American Cheese Society’s first annual American Cheese Month and was part of a large network of national cheese events celebrating and promoting North America’s delicious and diverse artisan, specialty, and farmstead cheeses. This first-time event drew more than 50 participants in an interactive evening of food sampling, discussions and questions with area cheesemakers and CheezSorce founder, Neville McNaughton. Tickets for the event were $45 in advance and $55 at the door. A portion of the proceeds were donated to the American Cheese Society’s Cheese Maker Scholarship Fund.

Cheese and Charcuterie at "Celebrating American Artisan Cheeses"

“Celebrating American Artisan Cheeses” was organized as a tasting of some of the country’s top award-winning cheeses, including Rogue River Blue from Oregon’s Rogue Creamery (2011 Best in Show by the American Cheese Society) and Evalon from Wisconsin’s LaClare Farms (2011 US Champion Cheese by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association). With a focus on cheese education, the event featured a total of six classes of cheese for sampling, which were paired with locally cured meats and charcuterie from nationally acclaimed St. Louis charcutier, Salume Beddu.

The meats and cheeses were also paired with carefully selected wines and champagne, and were discussed by Neville McNaughton, world reknowned master cheesemaker, and founder and President of CheezSorce. The preparation of the meats was also discussed by the owners of Salume Beddu, further 

expanding the event into a truly culinary and educational experience.

Luckily, there’s always next year…stay tuned!

In the modern world of the West, which is typified by the USA, we think of cheese as being a product of cow’s milk. (At least that applies to those of us who know where milk comes from). Most early cheesemaking, however, would have been done with milk from sheep or goats.

Of the goat milk cheeses that have survived through the ages to our current times, most are examples of very low technology. Chevre, for example, can be made by draining cultured/soured milk and does not require the use of a coagulant (although today it typically would).

Sheep milk cheese originally may not have been much different from the famous goat cheeses, but as time went on it developed into some very unique cheeses. (one of the most famous and notable results is Roquefort with a level of sophistication above that of the Chevres — Now that is my opinion as a technologist).  If you observe cheese in our markets today, goat cheeses are some of the most simple to manufacture.   Goat milk produces cheese of excellent quality when more sophisticated processes such as Cheddar and Gouda are applied to its manufacture.

Both the above cheese styles are common in France and have been

Cheesemaking from around the world

developed to an amazingly high level of sophistication.  While it may not have been the first place in the world to make cheese, France has been at the forefront in developing many of the gastronomic delights that we enjoy today. France has been, without dispute, the European region that was the most creative in converting milk to cheese.   France is also an excellent country whereby I can demonstrate the effect of geography: In the low lands where milk was plentiful throughout a long period of the year, fresh cheeses were common. (This includes Camembert).   In the mountains where milk was available for less than six months, the cheese had to be converted into something that would “keep.”   Comte, a French Swiss style cheese, would keep for many months and provided an appetizing form of nutrition in long winter months when snow covered the ground outside.

It is conceivable that French men and women were eating fresh cheese and salad on the coast at the same time as those living in the Alps were eating dry bread and fondue.   Geography was important in the evolution of cheesemaking.   In any region where we have varying climatic conditions, we can look to find cheese of different styles.   My point is that it is only in relatively recent times that we have had the ability to create, a). a year-round milk supply regardless of geographic location, and b). create the specific ripening environment necessary for aged rinded classics.   No longer do we seek out that special cave with certain conditions. We create it.

Additionally, we have many more mammals which are valued for their milk. The finest Mozzarella in Italy (and the world for that matter) is made from Buffalo milk. Mozzarella di bufala is a fresh, succulent and juicy form of Mozzarella — not the part skim variety that we get on most pizzas.

Mare’s milk is now used to make Koumiss, a drink similar to Kefir. Even reindeer milk is used by herdsmen in the far north as a source of sustenance. The potential of milk in cheesemaking is only limited by the creativity of the Cheesemaker. History has shown us that with over 400 different cheeses in France alone, Cheesemakers are truly creative.

In the New World, Cheesemakers continue to demonstrate the same spirit. Variations on past themes are created every time a new Cheesemaker sets up in business.

Neville McNaughton – Consultant

CheezSorce@gmail.com

A French Dairy Goat from Tours

We, the staff of CheezSorce,  had the wonderful privilege of capturing first-hand Brenda’s excitement and awe as she took her first tour of France — a cheese tour! Her educational focus taught us all a lot about the rich history of cheese making in none other than what many consider to be ground zero for the Cheese making culture.  We will share more later with promises of lots more beautiful photos.  We also invite you to check out another blog written by the guide Jeannie Carpenter who put this tour together http://cheeseunderground.blogspot.com/.

This is where Moulin Rouge was filmed.

The iconic Eiffel Tower

Nomad with a Goat

Before we get deep into the art of cheese it is important to understand its evolution from the beginning.   Even before our desert traveler discovered that milk could be coagulated into curds and whey without the milk going sour, it had probably already been discovered that sour milk would keep and did not make you ill.   Cheese was established as wholesome food.  What our early desert traveler newly discovered was that the animal stomach in which he carried his milk contained an enzyme that would coagulate fresh milk and create sweet curd.   This observant individual (cheesemakers, et al.) would learn that there were many factors that influenced how his cheese turned out.  It is crucial for new cheesemakers to understand the evolution of cheesemaking to produce quality products.

Early Cheese Making

The first step in the cheesemaking evolution seems to be acidified milk (yogurt, for example). This natural acidification of milk, a self-preservation system, marks the discovery of cultures (naturally occurring bacteria).  The differences in the range of acidified milks stems from two things:  the source of the milk, and the nature of the culture. Cultured, or Sour milk, is typically associated with mesophillic bacteria–not so tart.  Yogurt owes its character to a pair of complimentary thermophillic cultures, thermophillic meaning heat-loving (optimum growth at 104oF; mesophillic have an optimum of 90oF).

Kefir is another less common fermented milk product, which owes its unique character to a combination of mesophillic bacteria and yeast. The addition of the active yeast results in alcohol contents ranging from 0.2% to 0.8%, along witha slight effervescence due to CO2 production.

Cultured milks appear to have been more common in regions with temperate climates and are not as acidic. Yogurt was very common in the Mediterranean and Middle East and are more acidic because the thermophillic bacteria which are more heat tolerant produce more acid. Kefir, which is also commonin the Middle East but also further north in the Northern Hemisphere, tells us that this was a product of a much cooler climate.  It has similar acidity to sour milk, but with added alcohol from the yeast.  Yeasts prefer lower temperatures that would be found in the mountains and the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
Almost without exception there are health claims made by the consumers of cultured milks.  All are said to have a very settling effect on the intestinal tract, for instance, and in the case of Kefir, increased longevity.  I think it is a mistake to imagine that the products sold today will impart all the benefits of the traditional products.  (Or at least not without the daily glass of wine).  

Out of these early products evolved products such as Labneh, a drained yogurt-style product popularin the Middle East.  From Sweden we have Laktofil, a partially drained yogurt with cream added.  Concentration of sour milk by the removal of whey is the principle on which fresh cheeses are based.  Quark, Fromage Blanc are examples of drained acid curds. Feta, traditional Camembert, and Brie and similar cheese are placed in molds after coagulation. The acidity or pH is allowed to develop almost without constraint achieving roughly the same terminal acidity of drained acid curds above.
From the beginning of time, the practice by which the cheese is made ultimately determines its flavor and texture. As a clear example,  I do not lump Camembert into the same group as the simple cheeses.  These makers of Camembert took the acid curd, which forms its base, and turned it into an exquisite gastronomic experience.   Hard to think of it as a close relative to Feta.
Next up I will discuss the very important origin of the milk.

Neville McNaughton – Consultant

cheezesorce@gmail.com

Samples of Early European Cheeses

Did you ever wonder about the origins of cheese? How did it all happen? Where? For the young cheesemaker or the young marketer of cheese, an appreciation of “why we do what we do” should exist in its historical context.  What we do is based on the today’s demand for cheese, but we seldom think of what we do now as a re-creation of what a cheesemaker satisfactorily achieved100, 300 or 1000 years ago.

Cheesemaking began before recorded history; the first curds may have been the result of sour milk or milk stored in a goat skin stomach.  At the end of the day the weary traveler probably found that he had a refreshing drink and solid food.  Much of this is conjecture, but we do know that cheesemaking developed along parallel lines in various parts of the world.  As a result of the different climatic conditions that existed in those geographic regions, we have the large variety of cheeses we know today.  This parallel development of cheese in different regions was most certainly in part the result of travelers having tasted products derived from milk, and taking the news home from other villages.  Attempts to reproduce these cheeses seldom produced a perfect facsimile, but in many cases was sufficiently desirable and the new cheesemakers would continue to work on perfecting their newfound art. And Art it was.  With the absence of any hard knowledge about cause and effect, only the most astute and observant cheesemakers would be successful.

It is also important to understand that there were no designer cheeses until very recently. The Cheesemaker’s brilliance was in his powers of observation, recognizing potential long before the traits we now value as virtues were obvious (i.e. Swiss cheese and its characteristic eyes).  To this day qualities that made good Cheesemakers of old remain important.  Observation was and is critical to stay on top of the process.

Coated Cheddar

The effect of technologicial advances in cheesemaking is very clear. As an example, those of you who are old enough must remember cheese with rind, wax, cloth or other coatings that were added to preserve the cheese.  Why?  Because it wasn’t too long ago that refrigeration didn’t exist.  Cheese has been around for thousands of years, and artificial refrigeration has been around for about 100 years.  Cling film, cryovac, and modified environmental packaging (including vacuum packaging) are all very recent developments. Prior to modern refrigeration, cheese required some form of natural preservation.  The one we are most familiar with is rind, something we expect to find on a good Parmesan or other aged cheese from Europe, for instance.  More recently we are becoming re-acquainted with rind on some of the cheese produced by those cheesemakers committed to providing a much fuller cheese experience in general.  With the advent of refrigeration the cheesemaker is no longer restricted to finding a suitable cave, cellar, or climate in which to manufacture a certain variety.  He can now preserve the nutritional quality and create the ideal conditions he needs to produce a particular cheese in any location.

Some of us might conclude that all this progress in technology has lead not to better cheese, but to cheaper, lower cost cheese of mediocre quality.  We have more yield and less waste, but with less taste.  Buying cheese at the supermarket today is no longer the experience our parents would have had with a cheese purchase.  Today if you buy a pound you can probably eat a pound.  But is that progress?

I invite you to take an adventurous look at cheese and cheesemaking.  Find the people today who preserve the tradition and use the tools of modern technology to create the gastronomic masterpieces that our grandparents took for granted.  With the advantage of science, cheese should be better now than it ever was.  It can be if we know where to look.  As we develop the science to explain the process, cheesemakers can shift from being reactive to proactive.  In other words, we now have the knowledge to solve tomorrow what didn’t work today. Perhaps if we understood more clearly where we came from, we would be clearer on where we are going.

Neville McNaughton – Consultant

CheezSorce@gmail.com