Durham family finds success in cheese-making business
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
If you're looking for one of rural Durham's best-kept secrets, follow these directions:
Head west on (what else) the road west of Durham, and turn right on Goldenrod. Then head north for about half a mile, until you reach the Cottonwood Grove Christian School.
Look to your right. See the sign "Jason Wiebe Dairy"? You've probably seen it before.
But what you may not know is that inside that dairy is a product that folks from as far away as Florida have eaten.
It's called Eleanor's Farmhouse Cheese.
Eleanor's Farmhouse Cheese is made by Jason and Sheri Wiebe, and they got their start in the cheese-making business nearly two years ago in their Durham kitchen.
The Wiebes started with a home cheese-making book and a recipe from one of Sheri's relatives. This relative, who's married to a family cousin, is named Eleanor — hence the name of the business.
The Wiebes started out by researching as much as they could about making cheese. They toured cheese factories in Canada, and they spoke with cheese experts at Kansas State University.
"I spent lots of time on the phone," Jason said.
They began making cheese in small amounts at first, using just two- and five-gallon amounts.
In a good batch, one gallon of milk yields about one pound of cheese, Sheri said.
As they demand grew, the Wiebes realized they needed bigger equipment to make more cheese at one time. They found and purchased a large 47-gallon stainless steel kettle from a man in Hutchinson, which they now use to make all their cheese.
And the process is complicated enough to make a budding chemist's head spin.
First, the Wiebes fill the 47 gallon kettle with fresh milk. It comes straight from the cows in the barn next door, Jason said.
The milk is cooled slightly to 91 degrees and a starter bacteria is added, and one and one half hours later, an enzyme called "rennet" is added. After 35 to 40 minutes, that enzyme turns the milk into a jelly-like substance.
Next, the Wiebes cut the product into tiny cubes about a half-inch wide, using a device that looks a little like a strainer. Then, they slowly raise the temperature inside the kettle, starting at one degree every 5 minutes, until the "milk jelly" cubes and whey mixture is at 100 degrees. It's important to keep stirring the mixture, Jason said.
This cooking process shrinks the cubes and creates curds, which sink to the bottom. The rest of the liquid is called whey.
When the process is completed, about 1/4 of the tank will be filled with curds, while the rest is whey — which the Wiebes feed to their livestock.
Finally, the whey is drained from the curds, the salt is stirred in, and the curds are put in a 3,000 pound cheese press for 20 hours.
The Wiebes then cut the final product into blocks of cheese about one to two pounds each. They charge $3.50 per pound.
Learning about the cheese-making process has been quite a learning experience, the Wiebes said. Jason even visited a chemistry professor at Tabor College to ask questions about acidity testing, which has to be done ten to 15 times during the entire cheese-making process.
The Wiebes make two main kinds of cheese now, colby and cheddar. Colby is a softer cheese, with more moisture, and cheddar is harder and drier, Jason said.
They also sell different flavors, such as jalapeno, bacon, and sometimes caraway, Sheri said.
The holiday season is, by far, their busiest time.
"That first Christmas, we were making it (five-pound batches) every day," Sheri said.
Summer is usually fairly slow, they said.
And all the Wiebes' customers hear about their cheese by word-of-mouth. Since the milk isn't pasteurized, the USDA won't let them advertise or take the cheese to farmer's markets, Jason said.
But the Wiebes seem to keep busy with the business they have now. They have customers in Brookville, Topeka, and Kansas City.
Also, the farm newspaper "Grass and Grain" featured Eleanor's Farmhouse Cheeses in an article in a January 2002 issue. That helped with exposure around Kansas, Jason said.
The Wiebes are hoping to someday expand their production. They're looking into buying a 400 pound kettle, so they can make more cheese at once. They'd also like to purchase an automatic vacuum sealer and cutter to make the packaging process easier.
For more information about Eleanor's Farmhouse Cheeses, contact Jason or Sheri Wiebe at (620) 732-2846.
