CHAPTER XVII
CHEESE FACTORY CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT, ORGANIZATION
The principal factor in determining the location of a cheese factory is the available supply of milk. This is usually ascertained by making a canvass, and finding out the number of cows whose milk would be brought to the factory. The quantity of milk or the number of cows necessary to insure sufficient milk for the successful operation of the factory, depends on the variety of cheese to be made. When making types of cheese for which very sweet milk is necessary, the milk must be delivered twice a day. This demand limits the area from which the factory can secure its supply. The length of time the cheeses are held in the curing-room and the work necessary to care for them also limits the area which the factory can serve, because a very large amount of milk cannot be handled when the cheese must be given considerable attention in the curing-rooms. Swiss, Limburger and Brick cheese factories usually do not require a large supply of milk; therefore the factories may be built close together. The size of the Cheddar cheese factories varies but it is generally considered unprofitable to make Cheddar cheese unless there are 5000 pounds of milk available daily. Conditions have changed so that at present different kinds of cheese are made from the surplus milk in market milk plants. In such cases a uniform supply is not absolutely necessary. The climate must also be suitable for the industry.
283. Locating the site.—In a farming community, several factory sites are usually available. It is best to consider carefully the desirable features of each before trying to make a definite choice. Many of the present cheese factories were located in hollows because it was easy to secure a supply of water, but no thought or attention was given to the disposal of the sewage. The following points should be considered in choosing a site:
(1) Drainage.—A factory should be so located that it has good drainage. Ground that slopes away from the factory makes the disposal of sewage easy. Sewage should not be allowed to run out on the ground and left to decay, thus forming a breeding place for flies, but should run into a cesspool or septic tank.[129] Even in a porous soil, a cesspool frequently clogs and gives trouble. The septic tank seems to be the best method to dispose of the sewage unless the factory is so located that connection can be made with a city sewage system.
(2) Water.—An abundant supply of pure water is essential to a factory. This may come either from deep wells or springs. The value of a never-failing water supply cannot be overestimated.
(3) Exposure.—The factory should be so located that the receiving room is away from the prevailing winds. This prevents dust being blown into the factory. The curing-room should be on the side not exposed to the sun as this will keep it cool. Fig. 59 shows a clean cheese factory of the ordinary type. When it is desirable to cure the cheese in a cellar, it is better to locate the factory on the side of a hill. Then the receiving and manufacturing room may be on the ground level and the curing-room, a cellar, back of the manufacturing room and yet all on the same level. This saves carrying the cheese up and down stairs.
(4) Accessibility to market should not be overlooked. Often the quality of the cheese is injured by long hauls. An important item in marketing both milk and cheese is the use of the automobile. By its use the products are not so long in transit, and losses from exposure in delivery are reduced. Both milk and cheese, when exposed to the heat of the sun for any length of time, become warm. This gives undesirable organisms chance to develop.
Fig. 59.—A cheese factory of neat appearance.
284. The building.—Details of construction or estimates of cost will be omitted in the present discussion. A local contractor can do this satisfactorily and also the cost of materials is constantly changing. Only general considerations as they apply to the manufacture of the product will be taken up.
The building may be constructed of wood, stone, various bricks or concrete. The kind of material will depend on the relative cost of materials in the local market and on the amount of money available for building.
285. Heating plant.—Many of the older factories have no heating plants and some are so poorly constructed that they cannot be warmed. Means of heating should be provided, either by steam or a stove. The loss due to freezing is an item which is entirely avoided in factories properly heated.
286. Curing-rooms.—The size of the curing-rooms will depend on the amount of cheese to be handled and its location on the variety of cheese to be manufactured. In every case, some provision should be made to control humidity and temperature. If the room becomes hot and dry, evaporation from the cheese will be much more rapid. In a hot curing-room, undesirable types of ferments are more likely to develop and to injure the quality of the cheese.
287. Light.—The importance of light should be emphasized. It acts as a stimulant to keep things clean. It also makes the factory more cheerful. There should be numerous windows to give plenty of light. A skylight may often serve both as a source of light and ventilation.
288. Ventilation.—Plenty of ventilation should be provided. This may be accomplished by means of the windows or skylight. However, it is a good precaution to have at least one ventilator to carry off the steam and control the circulation of air. All openings should be carefully screened to keep out flies.
289. Boiler-room.—The boiler-room should be easily accessible from the manufacturing rooms. A gauge located in the latter should tell the steam pressure. Windows or doors should be so located that the flues of the boiler can be cleaned. The coal supply should be handy. Great care should be exercised to keep the boiler-room clean for otherwise the dirt will be tracked all over the factory.
290. Whey tanks should be kept clean. Daily washing is absolutely necessary to prevent offensive odors. Pasteurization of whey has been found requisite to prevent the spread of disease if raw milk is used.[130] This is required by law in some states. It is sometimes accomplished by heat with steam coils; in other cases by running live steam directly into the whey. Whey tanks may be made of wood or steel. The acid of the whey seems to eat and decompose concrete.
291. Store-room.—There should be a separate room or a place in the attic where the supplies can be kept. This saves much waste and keeps the factory cleaner and more tidy.
292. The floors.—The floor is the most important part of the building. It should be of non-absorbent material, which can be easily cleaned, and it should not leak. Concrete makes the best floor of any material used at present. It should slope very gently to the drain. The corners between the floor and side walls should be rounding to make cleaning easy. The drain should be provided with bell traps to prevent the entrance of sewer gas into the factory. If the traps and floor about them are slightly depressed, it will help to make the floor drain more quickly. A catch-basin should be provided just outside the factory for all solid material which might clog the sewer pipe. This should be cleaned three or four times a year.
Fig. 60.—A well arranged Cheddar cheese factory, including the equipment for the manufacture of whey butter.
293. Arrangement of machinery and rooms.—The rooms and machinery should be arranged so that the work will follow the natural sequence of the process with as little inconvenience as possible. Some of the points to be observed in this connection are: vats should be near the weigh-can; boiler-room near the work room; cheese presses near the vats; cheese presses near the curing-rooms and the like.
Fig. 60 shows a well arranged Cheddar cheese factory. The necessary machinery and rooms for the manufacture of whey butter are included. In this plan, the attic contains the store-room and the whey tanks. The whey is forced from the vats into the tanks with a steam jet and then runs by gravity to the separator. Slides are provided in the walls of the ice storage to regulate the flow of air into the curing-room and butter refrigerator. In order to have a smaller boiler, a gasolene engine is used to run the separator, churn and curd-mill. The plan can be modified to use the upstairs for a curing-room so that the size of the factory may be reduced. The whey butter could be shifted to a small room where the curing-room now is and the boiler-room added as a "lean-to" at one side of the building. This would materially reduce the size of the main building.
Another plan ([Fig. 61]) shows the arrangement of a Cheddar cheese factory without the whey butter apparatus. The location of the drain between the vats might be criticized. In Fig. 62 is shown the arrangement of a combined butter and cheese factory. Fig. 63 shows the possible arrangement of a Limburger factory. The size of this factory could be reduced by having the salting tables closer together.
Fig. 61.—Plan of Cheddar cheese factory without whey butter equipment. 1, Boiler; 2, sink; 3, hot water barrel for scalding utensils; 4, cheese vats; 5, 6, cheese presses; 7, weigh-can; 8, desk; 9, Babcock tester; 10, shelf; 11, paraffine tank; 12, cheese shelves.
In a Cheddar cheese factory, the curing-room may be over the manufacturing room. This makes considerable work in carrying the cheese up and down. A small elevator may be used for this purpose. The same principle holds in cheese factories in which other varieties of cheese are made; the floors should be on one level so far as possible. There is danger of the overhead curing-room becoming too hot and causing the cheese to leak fat. Shelves or tables should be provided on which to put and keep the utensils. The utensils should never be placed on the floor.
Fig. 62.—1, Boiler; 2, engine; 3, water pump; 4, work bench; 5, wash sink; 6, press; 7, elevator; 8, cheese vats; 9, separator; 10, milk heater; 11, milk receiving vat; 12, press; 13, shelf; 14, Babcock tester; 15, weigh-can; 16, churn; 17, starter; 18, cream ripener and pasteurizer; 19, refrigerator; 20, milk sheet and sample jar; 21, milk pump.
294. Arrangements for cleanliness.—A sink for washing the utensils should be provided and boiling water to scald them after washing. After being scalded, tin utensils dry quickly without rusting. The boiling water may be obtained by placing a steam pipe in a barrel of water and turning on the steam. The utensils can then be washed clean, dipped in this barrel of boiling water and put in their place. Too much emphasis cannot be laid on keeping the factory itself, the utensils and the surroundings clean. This will prevent the development of mold. Cases are known in which the cheese factory was allowed to become very dirty, so that a red mold developed. This eventually got into the cheese and caused red spots.[131] They are called rust spots. All doors and windows should be screened to keep out flies.
Fig. 63.—A Limburger cheese factory.
295. Equipment and supplies list.—The following utensils will be needed in a Cheddar cheese factory to handle 10,000 pounds of milk daily: 1 5-H. P. boiler; 1 60-gallon weigh-can; 1 conductor head and trough; 1 platform scale; 1 Babcock tester, glassware and sample bottles; 2 700-gallon cheese vats; 2 gang cheese presses; 1 curd-mill; 2 curd-knives; 30 cheese hoops; 1 whey strainer; 1 curd scoop; 1 long-handled dipper; 1 strainer dipper; 1 siphon; 1 cheese knife; 1 glass graduate; 1 cheese-trier; 1 speed knife; 1 paraffine tank; 1 Marschall rennet test; 1 lactometer; 1 milk can hoist; 1 acid test; 1 sink; 1 40-quart milk can; 3 pails; 3 shot-gun cans for starter; 3 thermometers; brushes and brooms; 1 Wisconsin curd test or fruit jars for same; 1 set counter scales; 2 curd rakes.
If whey butter is made, the equipment should include: Tanks to hold the whey; separator; cream ripening vat; churn; butter-worker; butter refrigerator; large boiler and steam engine or gasolene engine.
The following supplies will be needed for the making of the cheese: Bandages; boxes; scale boards; starched circles; rennet extract or pepsin; cheese color; press cloths;
Fig. 64.—A sanitary dipper with a solid handle. paraffine; formaldehyde; alkali; indicator; sulfuric acid.
When choosing the utensils, the ease of cleaning and sanitary construction should not be overlooked. One of the most unsanitary utensils in a factory is a dipper with a hollow handle. Fig 64 shows a dipper with a solid handle which any tinsmith can make. The seams of all utensils should be flushed full of solder, to make cleaning easy. When ready to clean or wash any utensils which have come in contact with milk or its products, the steps are as follows: rinse in cold water, wash in warm water in which some washing-soda has been dissolved, rinse clean, scald in boiling water. Never use a cloth to wash utensils; a brush is more sanitary.
296. Factory organization.—There are two general classes of organizations[132] to operate cheese factories, one the proprietary and the other the coöperative. Unless the kind of organization is what the dairy-men desire, dissatisfaction is sure to result.
(1) Proprietary organization.—Under this form of organization, one person owns and operates the factory. The dairy-men are paid a stated price for milk, or the milk is made into cheese for a stated price a pound. The proprietor receives all profits and assumes all losses.
So far as the dairy-man is concerned, the stock company is a proprietary organization. The gains and losses are shared by each member according to the amount of money invested.
(2) Coöperative organization.—In a true coöperative cheese factory each patron is an owner, as the name indicates. The object of this organization is to reduce the cost of manufacture rather than pay large dividends, so that the dairy-man with a large herd and small capital invested in the factory obtains more returns than the one who owns considerable capital and has a small herd. Many cheese factories are coöperative in name only and proprietary in operation. The state of Wisconsin has a law which tends to stop this defect and defines what organizations may use the term or name, coöperative.
The constitution of a coöperative organization should state: 1, Name; 2, object; 3, officers and duties of officers; 4, manager or other person to run business; 5, capital stock; 6, meetings; 7, voting power; 8, amendments.
Some of the most important statements which should appear in the constitution are mentioned in the following sentences. A statement should show what persons are eligible to membership in the organization. It is a careless plan simply to say that the duties of the officers are those usually defined in such an organization. This may lead to confusion and neglect, or both. Direct statements should be made explaining the exact duties of each officer. The limits of the authority of the manager or person who runs the business should be explicitly stated. The manager then knows just what his duties are and what matters or parts of the business must be considered by other officers or committees. The amount of capital stock and the number and value of each share should be exactly stated. The constitution should state when and where the regular meetings must be held and by whom and when special meetings may be called. This gives every member ample notice of the regular meetings. Some method or means should be provided to notify each member of the special meetings.
The voting power should be definitely stated, whether it is limited to shares of capital stock or by members or by number of cows owned by each member. It is necessary to indicate just how amendments to the constitution may be made. Each member should know before the final vote just what changes are being proposed. Types of constitutions may be found in the following references:
Elliott, W. J., Creameries and cheese factories; organization, building and equipment, Mont. Exp. Sta. Bul. 53, 1904.
Farrington, E. H., and G. H. Benkendorf, Organization and construction of creameries and cheese factories, Wis. Exp. Sta. Bul. 244, 1915.
Van Slyke, L. L., and C. A. Publow, The science and practice of cheese making, pages 447-453, 1909.
Iowa Exp. Sta. Bul. 139, 1913. Creamery organization and construction.