31 Days in Oregon: Tillamook Cheese Factory

We can’t drive through Tillamook without stopping at the Cheese Factory. We’ve been there a thousand times & I’m sure we’ll go a thousand more times.

The factory makes cheese. Fabulous Tillamook Cheese! From a viewing area upstairs, cheese lovers can watch how it is made. I have peeked through those windows many, many times.

Cheese Samples

Let’s get right to it. We have visited the Cheese Factory a thousand times because of the cheese samples.

There are a few flavors out to try including extra sharp or pepper jack. My hubby likes to try them all. I, however, am there only for the cheese curds.

Cheese curds, aka squeaky cheese
We always have to buy a bag or two (or three). They’re wonderfully cheesy, salty, and squeaky!

Upstairs

Upstairs is where you view the cheese preparing & packaging process.

There is also historical information on cheese making in Tillamook.

Making Cheese

1. Milk + Starter Culture = the beginning of cheese
2. Stir
3. Separate Curds from Whey
4. Curds turn into Cheddar Cheese
5. Add salt

Curds are pressed into a 40ish pound block.
The blocks are vacuum sealed.
The sealed blocks head up to be aged 60 days to 3 years.

Packaging the Cheese

After aging, the blocks of cheese get cut and packaged.

If a block weighs too much a bit gets sliced off. Those extra pieces are in the 2 bins at the bottom right.

Packaged cheese

Heading out to be shipped

The kids watching the cheese packaging process.

Ice Cream

Another must when visiting the Cheese Factory is getting ice cream. I rarely eat ice cream, but I do get a small cone here because their ice cream is delicious.

Yay for Tillamook Cheese! Good ol’ Tillamook cheddar is my favorite. When we’re out of cheese, I say we’re out of food because most things I eat include cheese. My love for cheese I’m sure is a big part of why I {heart} the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

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