Cheese

Pasteurization

During cheese-making, farm milk with no modified milk additives (lactoserum powder, etc.) is pasteurized to destroy all pathogenic bacteria it might contain. This technique consists of heating the milk to 72°C for 15 seconds.

Curdling

Pasteurized milk is transferred to a large cylindrical tub called the curdling tub, where we add different ferments and the rennet. The rennet causes the milk to transition from the liquid phase to the solid phase. Large cutters break the substrate into small pieces which are then allowed to settle to the bottom of the tub in order to remove the lactoserum which contains lactose. Lactose is a sugar which must not be allowed remain in Swiss-type cheeses in order to avoid fermentation after manufacture.

Pre-Pressing

The curds are then transferred to a large basin, known as the pre-pressing table, where it is pressed to agglomerate the mass.

Moulding

Once the cheese is pressed, it is cut into cubes approximately 3 kg each, which are placed into moulds.

Pressing

The moulds containing the cheese cubes are then placed under presses for about 2 hours, at different pressure levels.

Salting

Once the cheese is sufficiently pressed, it is placed in brine for 24 hours. Brine is water saturated with salt. It has three purposes in cheesemaking:

• It adds flavour;
• It allows draining of the cheese wheels (when salt enters the mould, water is removed);
• It has antiseptic properties.

Ripening

After brining, the wheels need to be dried. After this step, all our cheeses except for blue cheeses are vacuum-packed for ripening in the ripening room. These rooms are kept warm and dry for Swiss-type cheeses, and damp and cold for blue cheeses. Ripening time varies from 15 days (Mont Saint-Benoît) to 6 months (Le Moine), depending on the cheese type.

Cutting Wheels into Wedges

Once ripening is over, the cheese wheels are cut into wedges and packaged for retail sale.