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Hello everyone,
as some of you know I am leaning cheesemaking in order to start a micro-creamery to use the milk from my flock of sheep. one of my biggest concerns has been deciding on a line of cheeses to market. A few weeks ago I took some of my cheeses to a cheese tasting get-together where most of the milk-sheep breeders/cheese makers in my area where present along with Spanish and Israeli guests, I took a manchego a tomme and two wheels of camembert I had made for myself, to my surprise several cheese experts where raving over my sheep-milk camembert!
I had not planed on a camembert in my lineup but after this beginners success I am thinking on it.
this raises much questions since I know how to make PC/Geo bloom in a couple of wheels in plastic boxes, I have seen videos of great cold rooms at 95% RH where cams in inox trolleys bloom, but I need help putting up a medium sized micro-creamery level system.(400 cams a month)

I guess for a bloom room a large 40 ft2 fridge set at 52-54F would work but one of my questions is ... would it be better ( as a specific cam bloom box to obtain the required 95-97% RH) a sealed stand up freezer, with no dehumidifier fan, where it will reach 100% RH and will drip, but I can somehow shield the cheese from the drips. Or a similar fridge with dehumidifier fan and a small ultrasonic humidifier working fulltime to add the lost O2,
My next question is... will I also need a separate unit of the same size for the cold period (48F 85%RH) My successful cams where left at 54F for 60days, got cross contamination of B.Linnens from my reblochons, and had more Geo than Pc (I am working hard to duplicate this same cheese)
I hope that any of you small creamery cheesemakers that have managed to do a camembert line can give me some pointers on how you get a sizeable amount of cams to bloom (without individual plastic boxes)
thanks in advice!!

Hi Elkato.

Most of the start-up cheese businesses that I know never have enough maturing space so they end up using one room for everything.  I actually know one quite large cheese business that turns out great cheeses, including blues and whites, from the one room.

If space is an issue I would make up a separate rack for white moulds that can have a cover placed over it to keep the humidity up and put that in the same room.  If humidity is still an issue put an ultrasonic humidifier inside the rack too.  It can be powered on a timer to turn it on for, say, 5 mins every 30mins.  Be careful of making it 'rain' inside your rack.  Any dripping onto the cheese will cause the cheese to breakdown and the growth of inflorescens(sp??).  That's why I suggest a timer to control how much humidity is produced.

White mould is pretty aggressive stuff.  It can outgrow most blue moulds etc. but eventually it will get contaminated.  The best solution is to wrap the cheese as soon as it has a complete cover - usually 7 to 10 days. 

So in summary, most of the setups I have seen have: 

1. separate covered white mould racks.
2. extra humidity added through an ultrasonic device on a timeer
3. wrap the cheeses as soon as covered in white mould.

And lastly - dont forget to turn them EVERY day. 

NVD.

Thanks a lot Nimbin!
In my creamery I have a 10x10ft room that I am in the process of transforming into a cold room, but since I have never seen a small setup like the one you describe I was fearing that for a Camembert line I would need extra equipment.
I can imagine that something similar to a shower enclosure inside the main cold room with extra humidity would work
when I started this project a year ago I always pictured myself making hard cheeses like manchegos but now I am into bloomies, and don't know what I will be into in a few months!

Most people I know just make do in the early stages until they work out what they want/need to make to ensure the business succeeds.

Bloomies are good because they have a quick turn around.

Fresh curds and yogurts are even better to start with.  Don't be too proud about what you make first up is  my advice.  If its plain yogurt and it good and sells well then do it.  Better than waiting around 6 months for a hard cheese that you then find out has a limited market.

Your shower cubicle idea is just right.  What ever it is make sure its easy to clean!

Good luck.

NVD.