Great Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposium - the Department of Animal ...

Most of us in this room will never produce enough fresh milk to do anything more than
get stuck in the corner of industry vats. Fresh cheeses are good for 2 things, they create fast cash
flow and they generally terrify industry.
The Weekly Management
1. Staff: 3 casual staff (including one that takes stock and prepares orders)
we’ve found that it is essential to have staff with flexible schedules that can fill in at a
moment’s notice. Enthusiasm is critical, as is product knowledge. In our case, Catherine,
Lucille’s daughter who was born and raised in the country, fills this role well.
2. Products
Cuts of Lamb: 4-6 lambs per week. Lambs are delivered to the slaughter plant on
Monday night; they are slaughtered on Tuesday and delivered to the butcher on
Wednesday. After hanging in a cooler for 6 days, the meat is cut-up and delivered
to the booth on Thursday. The meat is kept properly chilled for up to 10 days, at
which time we freeze whatever has not sold, which recently has been almost
nothing.
Cheese: Orders come on Tuesday and are delivered on Thursday. As sales
generally start to lift on a Thursday of each week it was critical that we set up our
deliveries so that the freshest products could come hot off the press so to speak
and be delivered immediately. This proved especially important for the whey
cheeses, like ricotta.
Special Orders: include orders for cheese plates, caterers, restaurants, special
events. We require 2 weeks advanced notice.
Choice of Products to Offer
Cheese and cultured products:
1. 3 fresh cheeses
2. 2 whey cheeses
3. Feta
4. A true seasonal raw milk cheese made from milk from the evening milking and that
of the next morning, from pasture only.
5. Pasteurised pressed Pyrenees-style cheese
6. 2 blue cheeses (mild and strong)
7. Plain yoghurt
8. Maple syrup flavoured yoghurt
9. 65% heavy cream
Ready made meals with cheese ingredients:
1: Spanakopita
2: Chocolate desert made with ricotta.
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