Beecher's cuts the cheese

It's 3 a.m., still several hours before most vendors arrive at the Pike Place Market. In the early morning darkness, Jeremy Smith and Amir Rosenblatt wait for a truck to arrive and begin pumping 8,000 gallons of milk through the wall and into a waiting vat.

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Pike Place Market

1600 Pike Place

9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

daily

For information about classes call:

(206) 956-1964 or visit

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This may sound like some clandestine dairy smuggling operation, but for Rosenblatt and Smith, who are both cheese makers at Beecher's Handmade Cheese, this is just a regular day on the job. By 9 a.m., when the store opens, they will have already started on their second batch of cheese.

Beecher's is the product of owner Kurt Beecher Dammeier's love for cheese, and it's been producing countless pounds since its opening almost three years ago in Pike Place Market. Since then, the company has grown so large it has another facility in south Seattle where cheese is made, and the older cheeses mature.

Beecher's offers three basic types of cheese: Flagship, Beecher's signature combination of cheddar and gruyere; Just Jack, a take on jack cheese; and Blank Slate, a fresh cheese similar to cream cheese. From those they create different variations such as raw-milk Flagship, using unpasteurized milk, and cheeses flavored with herbs and spices. They also have seasonal specials, most recently a brie-style cheese, and the Pike Place Market store also offers a selection of artisan-made cheeses from other companies.

The process of making cheese is an exact science, but not as complicated as it might seem. Once the milk is pumped into the pasteurization vat, it is heated to 163 degrees, then cooled to 89 degrees, at which point it is mixed with cultures, which give it flavor and acidity, and rennet, to causes the milk to separate into curds and whey. The curds and whey are then heated up again and cooked at 102 degrees. Once the curds and whey have been separated, the curds are pressed and salted, and are ready to be eaten or aged to become cheese.

After the cheese is done, it goes several different places. The fresh cheeses stay at the store where they are sold, but much of the cheese goes to a refrigerated storage facility where it ages. Because most of it is sealed air-tight, it doesn't need to be checked on as much as cheeses that age unpackaged.

Although the process of cheese -making is fairly routine, every day and every batch is different, Rosenblatt said.

"Even a variation of half a degree [in the pasteurization process] can change the flavor of the cheese," he said.

The cow's diet or weather can also affect the flavor of the cheese. Recent flooding at Cherry Valley Farms in Duval, Wash., where all of Beecher's milk comes from, caused the cows to produce an enzyme in their milk that helps their calves fight off bacteria, but gives the milk an off flavor.

The cows that supply the milk for Beecher's are raised without growth hormones, and the milk always comes from the same herd of cows, so the quality of the milk is always consistent. Although they are raised naturally, the milk is not certified organic, which also requires that the pasture on which the cows are raised is organic.

Neither Rosenblatt nor Smith had any experience in commercial cheese-making before they started working at Beecher's.

Rosenblatt worked in the computer industry for 10 years, and decided that he needed a change. His only prior cheese experience was making goat cheese at home from a kit. When he saw a help wanted sign at Beecher's prior to its opening, he applied and became an apprentice cheese-maker. He is now the head cheese-maker at the Pike Place Market store.

Smith had worked in restaurants before, but like Rosenblatt, his only experience with cheese was experimenting at home. He says that cheese-making isn't quite as exciting as the fast pace of working in a restaurant, but he still has fun and enjoys the work atmosphere.

One of the unique features of Beecher's is that the area where cheese is made is surrounded entirely by glass, allowing people to watch the cheese-making process from start to finish.

Most of the people who watch are young kids. There are regulars, though, who will come by daily and watch the cheese-making process, Smith said. Some have become so well-known to the staff, they even have nicknames.

At three years old, the company is still young, but its created a niche for itself as Seattle's only artisan cheese-maker. In addition to selling cheese in stores, the company also sells to restaurants and grocery stores all over the West Coast. It carries a line of pre-made products such as their award winning macaroni and cheese.

For those interested in learning more about the process of cheese making, Beecher's offers classes about cheese, which delve into the world of cheese creation, history and wine pairing.

Even if you don't attend the class you can still stop by the window and watch with the regulars. If you're lucky, the cheese-makers might even give you a nickname.

Reporter Jeremy Konick: jeremykonick@thedaily.washington.edu