Wisconsin’s only cottage cheese manufacturer Thursday celebrated the installation of $14.1 million in modernization equipment.
The investment will enable Westby Cooperative Creamery, a farmer owned cooperative, to meet growing consumer demand by replacing an antiquated, labor-intensive system with modern equipment that can produce an additional seven million pounds of capacity and enhance food safety.
The creamery’s new multi-cheese vats will operate within a fully enclosed system that reduces production time in half, from 16 hours to 8 hours, and automate testing and sanitation.
New features also include a new, 30,000-gallon milk silo manufactured in Wisconsin.
“We’re proud to celebrate the completion of this investment and the future of Westby Cooperative Creamery,” J.D. Greenwalt, the creamery’s president and CEO, said in a press release.
“This project allows us to replace aging equipment before it reaches the end of its useful life while giving us the capacity and technology needed to meet strong customer demand for cottage cheese.”
