Say Cheese!

"I grew up in a dairy. And I always wanted to do something kind of different. Went to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and started studying cheese making and realized that it might be a good fit for me." So says Jonathon Van Ryn, co-owner of Bravo Farms. You might say that Jonathan has found his calling. The 24 year old artisan cheese maker was just out of college and looking for an opportunity. Bill Boersma was looking for a cheese maker to expand his Bravo Farm cheese operation in California. Bill says, "We've got some young blood, a young spirit, that youthful exuberance as opposed to the old sage, the old guy. I've already bumped head on that brick. It used to be I had to go see my six year old daughter to go start my computer. at any case now I have a 24 yr old man to help, to tell me where I'm going wrong. All of those issues have really been a plus for me."

Bill started Bravo farms in 1979. First running a dairy, then making cheese. But it was tough going alone and he reached a crossroads, either move to Wisconsin where they offer incentives for farmers or stay and produce a higher volume of cheese. His wife, Pat said, "I'm very familiar with their winters. And if that's where you want to go, you can very well expect you're going by yourself." So Bill went looking for a partner. Jonathan was graduating college with a degree in agriculture and looking to use his skills. The two joined forces. And while they found a lot of people eat cheese, many have no idea where it comes from. Jonathan says, "It's sometimes amazing when people tell me that they don't know where cheese comes from. I say cows, really cows?, yea, milk from cows. Here we are. Now we're showing them."

California is the number one dairy state in the country and all that milk, yogurt, butter and cheese add up to a 47 Billion dollar industry. Just south of Bravo farms is Jer-Z-Boys dairy - It's owned by Jonathan's uncle and cousins. They supply the milk to Bravo farms. In fact, Jer-Z-Boys' milk comes from Jersey cows instead of Holsteins because the Jersey cows have a higher level of butterfat which in turn puts less milk into the vat and gets more cheese out. Jonathan adds that it also gives his cheese a more "velvety" texture. When the milk arrives Jonathan and Bill are ready to make the cheese. The milk is heated and ingredients are heated to "gel" the mixture. Then the whey is extracted out of cheese, otherwise referred to as cheddaring. Basically there are two parts to cheese: the curds and the whey. When it comes to making cheddar, Jonathan and Bill try to get as much whey out of the cheese to make it drier.

Bravo Farms turns out just about 2000 pounds per day. In case you didn't know, it takes about a gallon of milk to make one pound of cheese. Then it's off to the aging room, set at 50 degrees with controlled humidity! They have to make sure the cheese is at just the right temperature. If it's too dry the cheese will crack; too moist, the cheese will take a too long to age and the desired sharp flavor will not occur when they prefer it to.

The Bravo Farms "cold room" is a veritable cheese-wheel hotel where the delectables sit until consumer consumption, usually 3-6 months depending on variety. According to Jonathan, Bravo Farms makes as well as sells two thousand pounds of cheese day in and day out. Once the cheese reaches maturity, its time to get it out the door. The cheese is cut, labeled, dated and packaged to be sent to stores across the country. Like many other farms these days, diversification helps pay the bills. Bravo Farms not only makes cheese but sells it at their ever expanding roadside restaurant and cheese themed gift shop. And whether they come in for the cheese. or to try not chocolate but "date" shakes, Bill sees this all as an opportunity, "New products, new customers. First thing is - I love the challenge. It can be frustrating. There are times when your first thought is, that's it. I'm done. And then something will happen and say oh no lets go again. There's somebody we haven't seen before - let's sell cheese to them!"