Gouda as it gets? Watch Cal Poly students craft gourmet cheese from scratch at the Creamery
Stocking up on gouda gifts for the holiday season? Embarking on a shopping brie?
The cheese-obsessed students working behind the scenes at the Cal Poly Creamery have you covered.
This year, more than 20 students at the San Luis Obispo university are cranking out small batches of smoked gouda, chipotle cheddar, triple cream brie cheese and more.
Dressed in white food processing uniforms, blue gloves and hair nets, student workers spent six hours on a November day transforming fresh milk into soft, delicious hunks of brie cheese.
Their goal was to produce 2,000 holiday gift cheese boxes ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
From milking to aging: How Cal Poly cheese gets made
Around midday on Nov. 7, three Cal Poly students hunched over a giant tub of cheese curds and whey, surrounded by stainless steel equipment and hundreds of small plastic containers.
They were in the middle of cheesemaking at the university’s Dairy Products Technology Center, 1 Grand Ave. in San Luis Obispo.
The process began in the early hours of the morning when workers collected fresh milk from Jersey and Holstein cows from the university’s dairy across the street from the Creamery.
Once the milk arrived at the Creamery, it was pasteurized — heated and rapidly cooled to kill bacteria — and poured into a vat where it was mixed with heavy cream and culture additives and then heated again.
Eventually, the milky substance coagulated into curds. Students drained off the whey, or excess liquid, and then scooped cheese curds into 300 round seven-ounce molds.
After an overnight rest, the brie was dipped into a salt brine bath for an hour and then aged in dry containers for 10 days, according to Cal Poly Creamery operations manager Katy Pankey.
During the aging process, the brie grows a hardened edible mold on its exterior.
Workers conduct quality checks daily, said Pankey, a Cal Poly alumna.
“All of our cheese is student made, from the beginning to the ending process, and that’s what’s really unique about it,” Cal Poly student Jenna Bates said. “It’s all premium cheese, and a lot of it is aged for quite a long amount of time.”
SLO university has history of student-made products
The Cal Poly Creamery is one of the largest dairy science programs in the United States, according to a Cal Poly news release.
Since 1903, the Creamery has functioned as a dual teaching laboratory and commercial dairy product plant, according to its website.
At Cal Poly, known for its “Learn by Doing” philosophy, agriculture students have a hand in every part of the cheesemaking process — from caring for and milking cows to manufacturing, packaging and selling a wide variety of dairy products.
Over the decades, the university’s agricultural programs have expanded to include a diverse spread of foods.
This year, Cal Poly agriculture students are cranking out beef jerky, jams, barbecue sauce, ice cream and chocolates in addition to cheeses.
Students at the Creamery are paid for their work, and any profits from food sales go directly towards running the program, Pankey said.
The 2,000 student-made cheese boxes sold during the 2024 holiday season are expected to gross nearly $150,000, she said.
Bates, a junior studying agricultural systems management, said she valued her time working at the Creamery for the past two years.
“My favorite thing is learning something new pretty much every single day I come into work, whether that be picking up milk and then learning how to pasteurize it,” or mastering every step of the cheese-making process, she said.
Bates was recently promoted to a student manager position at the Creamery. She said having hands-on experience creating agricultural products is already giving her great job experience that will help her excel in post-college roles.
“I’m getting that experience leading a team of other students,” she said. “I’ll have those management skills.”
Which kinds of cheese does Cal Poly Creamery produce?
The Creamery currently produces and sells eight types of cheese.
Varieties range from Grand gouda and smoked gouda to white cheddar, Highland cheddar and chipotle cheddar.
Other offerings include fromage blanc, a fresh cheese, and Madonna alpine, which is similar to Swiss or Gruyere cheese.
The cheeses are made over the course of the school year. Some take two days to age, while others require up to a year to develop their full flavor, Bates said.
The Creamery has racked up several awards for its cheesemaking prowess.
Cal Poly’s Triple Peak brie cheese took first place in the 2023 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge’s Best of Dairy Challenge competition, according to a university release.
“(The brie is) highly loved by everyone that tries it,” Bates said. “That’s the one I would definitely recommend to anyone.”
Where can I buy Cal Poly Creamery products?
Cal Poly Creamery products can be purchased online via its website or in person.
Cheese boxes range from $45 to $140, and products are shipped across the United States.
You can also can buy cheeses and other goods directly at the Creamery. Drive-through sales occur most Fridays from noon to 4 p.m. at 1 Grand Ave., Building 18A, in San Luis Obispo.
