June 9 , 2022 The Beacon • 19
Pearl Valley Cheese knows the value of Dairy Month
By Josie Sellers
According to the Farm Bureau , June officially became Dairy Month in 1939 . Prior to that , it was known as National Milk Month , celebrating a product Pearl Valley Cheese relies on daily .
Pearl Valley Cheese was founded in 1928 . Swiss immigrants Ernest and Gertrude Stalder started out making 200- pound wheels of Swiss Cheese .
“ Today they make up to 40,000 pounds a day , and they don ’ t just make cheese here . They make world-known cheese here ,” said Terry Guilliams , Pearl Valley ’ s factory tour guide . “ This year they won a silver medal at worlds and have been grand champion at the Ohio State Fair .”
In the 1960s the company added Colby Longhorn Cheese . Lacey Style Cheese , Baby Swiss and Marble Cheese were added in the 1980s . Pepper Jack , Lacy Baby and Smoked Swiss Cheese came along in the 1990s . Today roughly 14 different kinds of cheese are
Milk has played a vital role in Pearl Valley Cheese ’ s almost 100-year history .
made .
Ernest and Gertrude Stalder died in the 1980s , but they had already turned management over to their son John and his wife Grace in the 1960s . The third generation of the family started working at Pearl Valley Cheese in 1984 , and now the fourth generation of the family is part of the business .
When you take a Pearl Valley Cheese tour with Guilliams , he takes you through the whole process , from where milk is delivered to where the cheese is packaged and
ready for shipping .
One stop on the tour shares a time line of the family business . The 1947 space explains that
“ Pearl Valley became Ohio ’ s largest cheesemaker using 4,300 gallons of milk per day . To keep pace with production , the family buys a herd of Brown Swiss cows . The herd pastures on the western hill just
“ We have a constant desire to improve and willingness to invest .”
— president Pearl Valley Cheese Chuck Ellis
File above the cheese factory .”
By 1982 bulk milk was replacing traditional cans from dairy producers . Currently , Pearl Valley Cheese receives milk from 33 total producers . Five are in Holmes County , four are in Coshocton County , four in Tuscarawas County and six in Muskingum County . They also receive milk from Madison , Logan and Union counties .
“ We try to do local as much as we can ,” said Chuck Ellis , Pearl Valley Cheese president . “ It ’ s more efficient and cost effective for us to bring in local milk .”
In their industry , milk is talked about in pounds , not gallons . One gallon
equals 8.6 pounds of milk . In one day they use 400,000 pounds of milk or 46,000 gallons . It takes 1 gallon of milk to make a pound of cheese , and they will make 40,000 pounds of cheese a day .
“ We have a constant desire to improve and willingness to invest ,” Ellis said . “ We aren ’ t the biggest or the most efficient , but we try our hardest to put a quality product out there . Quality drives us . We work very closely with our dairy farmers . If they are not having good milk and have a problem , we will work with them to try and fix it when we could just say no .”
Pearl Valley Cheese will celebrate its customers and nearly 100-year history on Saturday , June 18 from 9 a . m . to 4 p . m . with a customer appreciation day . There will be inflatables , outside activities , JB ’ s Smokin ’ Barbeque food truck , ice cream , popcorn , factory tours and more . Pearl Valley Cheese is located at 54760 Township Road 90 in Fresno .
Don ’ t Forget Their Birthday !
Whether they ’ re 1 or 100 , show them you care with an ad . Call 740-622-0244 ext 7701 Today !
saluting the efforts of our dairy farmers
Your Local Source for Extruded Soybean Meal 740.622.0941 www . coshoctongrain . com
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PEARL VALLEY CHEESE
Customer Appreciation
Day
SATURDAY , JUNE 18TH • 9:00 AM TO 4:00 PM
Specials • Large Inflatables for Kids Food Truck • Ice Cream • Popcorn Giveaways • Treats for the Kids
Visit Our Store in Pearl and Shop Where the Cheese is Made ! Meats , Cheeses and all the Goodies !
54760 TWP . RD . 90 , FRESNO Hours : Monday-Friday 8-5 ; Saturday 9-4 740-545-6002 • pearlvalleycheese . com
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