directly from outside during the summer months, as it
would disrupt the carefully controlled temperature of the
aging room. Robert had the idea of utilizing an old well on
the property as a source of cold air and rigged up a solarpowered electric fan to move the air through the aging room.
Sonnental Dairy is entirely off the grid, and quite possibly
has the smallest carbon footprint of any cheesemaking
facility anywhere.
Robert makes his cheeses three days a week. The
other three days are spent repackaging the cheeses in
smaller sizes for retail, doing paperwork, taking orders and
shipping. Cheese production is not a year-round endeavor
because the milking is seasonal, letting him pursue other
activities from the end of February until early May, when
the cows “freshen”. On production days, milk is delivered
in the “milk wagon” from his father’s farm just down the
road. Between 150 and 500 gallons of fresh, raw milk are
poured into a 24” deep stainless steel vat. The vat is jacketed
with water heated by a wood-fired boiler outside the dairy.
Warm water circulates through the copper pipes Robert
installed with the