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Belchers believe that it is this care and focus on cleanliness that has allowed them to remove the typical“ gamey” smell and taste from their cheese. In the milking shed, the attention to detail continues. Each goat has a strip cup test performed at each milking session to check for blood or lumps. If these are present, the animal can be treated quickly and effectively for its ailment ~ most commonly mastitis. Animals that require treatment are given special care and sometimes isolated from the herd to prevent further stress.“ A lot of this process is about getting to know the animals”, says Norman. He is always concerned over the condition of his animals. He receives a visit from the state vet once a year when his animals are individually tested for brucellosis, and every two years for tuberculosis.“ The spread of brucellosis in Gauteng has reached crisis point,” says Norman. He worries that consumers are not aware of how bad the spread of the disease has become. As a result, he is proud to hold a clean bill of health for all his animals. His current concern is the slow recovery of his older ewes after birth. He says he is never satisfied that they are in good enough condition. Belnori ~ like many small businesses ~ faces the challenge of being much smaller than the major dairy and cheese producers in the country. Because of their size, they do not have dedicated specialists on their staff. Norman works with nutritionists and other experts periodically to find solutions but both Rina and Norman havehadtodoalotof learning themselves. All of the milk produced at Belnori is pasteurised. This is done as an added measure of protection for the consumer. Beyond that however, the milk is not treated in any way. There are no additives or preservatives in the products. Rina runs the cheesery. She loves the combination of creativity and science that goes into making cheese. Their cheesery is an impressive series of rooms, beginning with three large temperature regulated tanks that hold the milk fresh from the goats. Next, the milk is
SMART SMALLHOLDERS
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moved into the pasteuriser. Rina says“ I never thought I could love a piece of machinery as much as I love this machine. It revolutionised our lives.” Before this machine was custom-made for Belnori, the pasteurising process would take up to five hours. Now it takes an hour. The machine had to be adjusted to suit goats ' milk ~ with equipment in South Africa being made predominantly for cow ' s milk. Goats ' milk is pasteurised at 68˚C for 30 seconds. The Belchers point out that all their equipment has been paid for cash, rather than on finance. When making Chévre, the curd is loaded into homemade cloth bags. Rina herself makes the bags out of dress lining. She says it saves them money and is far more hygienic than cheese cloth which holds bacteria in its
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