Author Topic: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?  (Read 8065 times)

brooks

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Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« on: April 16, 2009, 04:21:52 AM »
Would anyone have any info or advice related to starting Goat cheese production. We are based in Indonesia, any help with any important aspects that we should consider would be welcome. Cheers

linuxboy

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2009, 04:41:40 AM »
have you read American Farmstead Cheese: The Complete Guide to Making and Selling Artisan Cheese by Paul Kinstead?

It has a lot of very helpful suggestions, even some info on budgeting and financials.

Megan

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2009, 07:35:52 PM »
Ditto on that book, it really goes into the science of cheesemaking.
 Write down a plan for your product, packaging, facilities, don't forget to ponder your marketing.  Figure out your angle, fresh, soft, hard,...local flavors or exotic, retail/wholesale, direct or distributor.  Are you currently milking your own herd or buying milk? Makes a difference.  I do recommend visiting several dairies/creameries, see their set-up/equipment, take pics if allowed.

linuxboy

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2009, 04:02:42 AM »
One more tip I heard from a startup artisan cheesemaker with award winning cheeses. Develop a recipe and consistent process for 1-3 signature cheeses. Don't focus on making a lot of types all at once. Often, a classic recipe with a twist may be the key. Like washing the cheese with a beer, or rubbing the rind with an herb or spice, or some similar innovation that makes a brand new cheese from a proven type (like tomme or alpine styles).

I've heard of great successes when people use the natural bacteria and molds to produce a washed rind cheese... like taking soil from nearby ground, culturing it, and then spraying cheeses once a day with the culture.

Cheese Head

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2009, 12:39:05 PM »
brooks, welcome to the forum, first from Indonesia I think, so I've added a Geographic > Indonesia Board in case you want to post anything local. Your Eneglish is great so I don;t think you'll need it but I've installed Bahasa Indonesia as an optional forum shell language (default is English), just click on drop down box in top right.

Some great advice already, FYI, I posted a review and images of that book's ToC here.

goat lady

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2009, 07:13:52 PM »
do you have goats already??

Tropit

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2009, 06:13:14 PM »
Hi,

Indonesia is such a beautiful place.  I'm sure that the goats will do well.  The only problem I see is keeping your working enviromental temperatures low while cheesemaking and curing.  I know that when I lived in Hawaii, the warm, humid climate created all kinds of trouble and brought unwanted bacteria and molds to my baby wheels. 

jackdag

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2009, 06:51:11 PM »
Hi tropit

Could u give more info about ur related problem with ur climat, i will soon move to Phillipine to be with my new wife and are on my way to start Artisan cheese there, i never went to ur beautifull country but know it the same related climat.

Thanks


Tropit

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Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2009, 03:15:40 PM »
Working in a hot, humid environment is not condusive to cheesemaking.  In the tropics, there is the constant presence of undesirable molds and mildew in the air that can contaminate the curds, or finished cheeses, not to mention all of your sanitized utinsils,or even the milk before it arrives.  Leaving a cheese out to air cure is definitely not an option.  Also, working in the heat and humidity all morning over a cauldron of curds and whey is not so much fun. 

If you are going to make cheese in a tropical environment, I would suggest that you find an air conditioned space that can be made scrupulously clean and sanitized each day and use a temp-controlled, enclosed cheese cave s/a a re-furbished refrigerator with temp and humidity control.  Also, make sure that the milk that you obtain is kept very clean and cool, from animal to doorstep.

kenjin

  • Guest
Re: Small Commercial Goat Cheese Production - Startup Advice?
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2009, 03:28:56 PM »
Working in a hot, humid environment is not condusive to cheesemaking.  In the tropics, there is the constant presence of undesirable molds and mildew in the air that can contaminate the curds, or finished cheeses, not to mention all of your sanitized utinsils,or even the milk before it arrives.  Leaving a cheese out to air cure is definitely not an option.  Also, working in the heat and humidity all morning over a cauldron of curds and whey is not so much fun. 

If you are going to make cheese in a tropical environment, I would suggest that you find an air conditioned space that can be made scrupulously clean and sanitized each day and use a temp-controlled, enclosed cheese cave s/a a re-furbished refrigerator with temp and humidity control.  Also, make sure that the milk that you obtain is kept very clean and cool, from animal to doorstep.

This reminds me of ..well... me.. :-\