Starting a cheesemaking business: a huge headache

[amiriliano]

I have an offer from a known restaurant in Philadelphia. So I called the local authorities to find out what the rules and regulations are.

I can make my small batches if I rent out industrial kitchen space but I can't transport milk there. I can only make cheese from milk that has been pasteurized on the same premises where I make the cheeses. But there are no commercial kitchen rental spaces with pasteurizers.

If I want to make raw milk cheeses, they must be aged for >60 days. But the cheeses the restaurant is interested in are bloomy rinds that are aged for < than 6- days.

Any ideas??

 

[qdog1955]

Emi----are those rules just local or State----I know Philly has lots of regs. that aren't state wide, Have any lawyer friends ---seems there are always ways around and through regulations, if you no where to look. I think alot of what you want to do, depends on how much you want to invest. Maybe it's time to move---York needs Drs. and cheese makers 
Qdog

[Sweet Leaves Farm]

How expensive would a milk transporters license be? I would think a commercial refrigeration truck ( rented) and a license would get you and the milk to your destination.

[amiriliano]

@QDog: Do you have a room we could rent out ? Maybe I can open a practice in your garage?

But answer your question: they are statewide rules. Philly doesn't add anything. And yes, I do have lawyer friends and want to have them read the code, but, oddly enough, the codes that are published online are largely "restricted" to public viewing. Not sure why.

@Sweet leaves: so far, per the inspector, there can be no transportation of any kind of milk to the make point. Pasteurization must be performed at the site prior to production.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Even if you are allowed to transport pasteurized milk to your make facility, you will still have to re-pasteurize on site for fresh cheeses that are aged less than 60 days. Generally you are not allowed to make any cheese in a mixed use commercial kitchen. Cheese has to be made in a dedicated, licensed and inspected facility.

Don't talk with "local" authorities. Health Departments usually have no say so or control over a state licensed manufacturing facility. You need to discuss this with a state milk/cheese inspector.

[amiriliano]

I did - that's what I meant. Bad wording on my part.

I think he did say I can do it in a mix-use kitchen though...I'll double check

[Sweet Leaves Farm]

Was this the website you were looking at? http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_6_2_75292_10297_0_43/AgWebsite/ProgramDetail.aspx?name=Milk-Sanitation-Program&navid=12&parentnavid=0&palid=130&

This has the legal library at the bottom of the page, maybe this will help you figure out where you need to go next. Sometimes when you talk to inspectors, they have only thought about the rules in one way, and we just need to nudge a little and get them to think a little more broadly.

[awakephd]

I'm confused about the transportation issue -- what exactly does this mean? You have to get milk there somehow, which means transporting it ... unless you have to have a cow on the premises??

Obviously I'm missing something, but what?

[amiriliano]

It's like this:

1) Milk gets pasteurized at bottling plant
2) Milk is sold to cheesemaker
3) Milk is now moved out of bottling plant
4) Milk is now considered at risk of "cross contamination"
5) Milk has to be re-pasteurized at cheesemaking site if cheeses are to be aged < 60 days

[Kern]

It's like this:

1) Milk gets pasteurized at bottling plant
2) Milk is sold to cheesemaker
3) Milk is now moved out of bottling plant
4) Milk is now considered at risk of "cross contamination"
5) Milk has to be re-pasteurized at cheesemaking site if cheeses are to be aged < 60 days

Making the world safe for democracy, one cheese plant at a time!