Cheesest line I ever heard over a phone call was – Would you like to visit A cheese factory. With a very cheesy smile I accepted the invite.
My visit to Gocheese factory
I would like to thank the whole team of Go cheese for letting me get my kids along; to a memorable and experiential tour. The team took lot of effort in showcasing the go cheese production facilities and products, and I must say it was very well organised.
Go Cheese Plant is at Mancher near Pune, and is owned by Parag Milk Foods. I and my fellow bloggers had a guided tour of how cheese and the other dairy GoCheese products are made.
Knowing the process – How cheese is manufactured
We were shown the Rotolactor (German technology) where up to 20 cows step onto a rotating platform and are milked with automated pipes attached to their udders. My first reaction was it might be a painful process for the cows, but as we were explained, this mechanized milking process is way better for the cows then the manual process, and how the cow farm is maintained and how each and ever cow is well looked after. The one phrase we were listing in all the conversations throughout the day was “We have happy cows”.
We were only allowed to enter the area after some rub of powdered substance on our shoes for hygienic reasons. We were also given small shots of milk under their Pride of Cow brand. The milk tasted fresh and creamy quite different from a normal pasteurized milk.
After the lunch, the fun part began and kids were so excited. The visit to the GO Cheese World, where cheese is made after the milk is extracted from the cows. The entire place had bright-colored cheese posters, that explained the origins of cheese and different variety of cheese. The Go cheese manufacturing is one of the largest plant in asia with the capacity of 40,000 kgs of cheese.
We were taken through the process of how the milk is heated and transformed into curd, how the whey is separated and how the different types of cheeses are made and packaged. We were made to wear hygiene cloaks as well as the mask to cover our mouth and head.
The Evening ended with a cheese tasting session along with cheesy goodies. We tried more than 10 different cheese varieties including Chutney cheese slices – a very indian touch to cheese. All in all, a very informative trip and session for foodies like me to know about different cheese varieties available locally. And best of all, my kids had a great time learning all about one of their favourite foods – CHEESE !
