More Cheese & More Places to Find it

From what I understand, the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years Day will be our busiest time of the year, so I'm in the midst of ramping up production to meet demand.

And, speaking of demand, there are some new places to find our cheese.

Pairings Food and Wine in Minnetonka & Grass Roots Gourmet in Minneapolis are our newest vendors. Pairings is a beautiful space housing a cafe/market alongside a well-thought-out wine area. You'll find Grass Roots Gourmet in the Midtown Global Market--a place that has long been on my list to visit. Rows and rows of stores stocking items from around the world...now that I've seen it in person, I can't wait to go back for a few hours of strolling, tasting, and shopping. Vicki, the proprietor of Grass Roots, was a joy to meet and such an obviously dedicated proponent of local and sustainable food.

Also, Lucia's Restaurant and Cafe has started serving Bent River. Some posts back, you might recall Alemar Cheese was part of a lunch honoring Lucia. A few days later I received a lovely thank you note from Lucia, and she asked if she could carry our cheese. Of course we are honored to be a part of this great Minnesota institution!

Head down now, into "holiday" mode. Have a great week...

Crying Over Spilt Milk

I did not really cry, except inside. But, I did spill a lot of milk: 100 gallons to be precise.

Yesterday started like any normal cheesemaking day; to the dairy and back, then pumping the milk into my vat. And then something abnormal happened.

I gently pasteurize my milk. By law, any cheese that goes to market before sixty days must be pasteurized. I use a "tankless" water heater to run very hot water through two "jackets" inside the vat, which brings the milk slowly to 145 degrees. Then the milk is held at this temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes. Viola, pasteurized milk.

The heater is a really cool machine. It heats water almost immediately to the desired temperature, and it is rigged up to recycle the water that flows through the vat. So, not only is it very energy efficient, it cuts down on water use.

Only, yesterday, I pressed the on button, and nothing happened. From my years in the baking business, I am used to equipment failure. I have also found that with the proper amount of determination and ingenuity, there is almost always a solution, a quick fix.

Almost always. I went through a routine of going through the troubleshooting guide in the equipment manual, then called in our electrician and ultimately, Jeremy, the plumber who installed the heater. We had power, and everything was operation except for the keypad.

Jeremy called technical support at the manufacturer, and after going through a set of instructions, was asked to take the keypad apart. As he did so, a few drops of water began to seep out. This, it turns out, is not normal.

What to do next? Tech man explained that you can bypass the display unit and keep the heater operational. Good news! I sealed the vat and began heating the milk. Jeremy left with my OK to order another display unit.

As I watched the vat, I could tell something was amiss. The milk was not heating as quickly as usual, and when I felt the intake water line, it was obvious that the water going in was not as hot as usual. So, I called back technical support, and learned that while it is possible to bypass the control unit as we had done, there is an internal wiring system that prevents the water from going above 140 degrees. It should come as no surprise that 140 degree water will not heat milk to 145 degrees.

I searched my mind for a solution. I called all the plumbing supply outfits within a 75 mile radius that might stock the part. I called a company in town that specializes in control units. I tried to tap my inner McGuyver, but nothing would come.

I obviously lost some money, but that was a minor irritant. It was truly heart-wrenching to drain the milk out of the vat. I had exhausted every option I could think of, and there was nothing I could do. I called my good friend Craig, and we had a laugh at the idea of me taking a bath in the vat. For the record, I did not take a bath in the vat.

All night last night, I had flashes of frustration welling up from inside. Where the hell had that water come from? Did I do everything I could? It was a pointless exercise, but knowing that made it no easier.

Jeremy came back today and installed the new control unit. He mounted it in a different spot, far from any source of water. Maybe I should get another unit for backup.

I hope writing this down will exorcise any lingering demons I may have, and, of course, this is a minor setback that will not affect much in the long run.

Mankato Free Press cover story

We've been getting some attention lately, all of it welcomed. This article appeared in the Mankato Free Press today.

Here's some of the text - the full story about Alemar Cheese company in Mankato is here at the Mankato Free Press website.

Getting it right when making fresh cheese is a combination of art and science.

Keith Adams works with precision inside a small production facility in Mankato’s Old Town as he tries to perfect the Camembert-style soft cheese he began making last spring under the Bent River brand name.

He heats the organic milk to precise temperatures to pasteurize it, allows it to sit for the specified time to separate the curds and whey and reach the proper pH levels, and he moves quickly at the right moment to remove the blend from a large vat, using stainless steel pails, to pour it into round molds and begin the aging process.

“It took me a while to get the recipe and formula correct. It’s part of the journey, I guess, but it was frustrating,” Adams said.

His new venture, Alemar Cheese, is meeting with success where it counts — the cheese buyers and upper-end restaurants who are adding his cheese to their menus.
As co-owner of the former Bagel Bros. bagel shops, Adams’ new business brings him back to two things he desires: Being his own boss and working with food.
Alemar is a blend of the names of his teen daughters, Alex and Mari, and the Bent River brand of his first cheese is in reference to the famed bend in the Minnesota River at Mankato.

Camembert cheese is one of the most famous of French soft cheeses. The thick, gooey cheese is popular on bread and paired with fruit. While it needs to be refrigerated to be stored, it tastes best served at room temperature.

Adams made a about a dozen batches of cheese before he felt he got it right and began shopping samples around. St. Peter Food Co-op is so far the only area outlet for the Bent River cheese. He’s also selling it at several co-ops and some restaurants in the Twin Cities area.

Mike Phillips, chef/owner of The Craftsman restaurant in Minneapolis, sampled Bent River and added it to his cheese menu, which rotates between 15 and 20 cheeses during the year.

“It’s really good, but it’s also getting better all the time,” Phillips said. “Like anything with food or cheeses, results aren’t real quick. It takes some time to perfect it.”
Phillips said that while he gets cheeses from the vaunted cheese-making state of Wisconsin, Minnesota cheese production is growing. “There’s quite a bit in Minnesota. We’re seeing a good increase of really good, quality cheese.”

Adams gets organic milk — 1,000 gallons per batch, which makes about 130 pounds of cheese — from Cedar Summit Farm in New Prague.
The process of making and aging the cheese is four to five weeks. The fresh cheese has a shelf-life of up to a month after that.

Soft, fresh cheeses have a higher moisture content, while moisture is forced out of hard cheeses, giving them a long shelf life.

After the Bagel Bros. bagel shops Adams helped run closed in 2005, he worked in sales at Coughlan Publishing for three years, something he described as a good job, “But as far as gratification, it left me lacking. I had this feeling to do something I felt a passion for.

“I really enjoyed the food side of the (bagel) business and being my own boss came naturally to me.”

A California native, Adams considered wine making, something some of his friends there do. “But the startup cost to make wine in Minnesota is huge. I thought cheese making is something similar.”

He studied cheese-making intently and attended the American Cheese Society conference where he met a California cheese-maker who agreed to mentor him.

He drew up his business plan and began raising seed money last fall. He found a small building on North Riverfront Drive, a former Domino’s Pizza store, that had the infrastructure for food production. After renovations, he began producing his first cheeses in April.

“I think I broke even last week for the first time.”

For now, he wants to concentrate on producing good product for his current customers, but plans to add a new cheese variety each of the next four or five years.
Adams expects his cheese will be available at a Mankato outlet in the near future.

He will sell the cheese via his Web site — www.alemarcheese.com — in the future. The cheese retails for about $21 per pound.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

Alemar Cheese Write Up in Star Tribune

Note: This is a guest post by Mike Nolan - a re-print from the Ask Better Questions Blog.

My friend Keith Adams started a small, organic artisan cheese company this year.

I remember the day he broke the news to my wife and I that he wanted to make cheese. It was over a glass of wine, in my kitchen, about a year ago. My first reaction? Well, as a guy who has been on the money side of many a start-up, I was less than optimistic. For about a minute.

It only took 60 seconds for me to see the passion.

He needed to be an artisan - he needed to have a passionate living.

He shared the elevator pitch - his market research - his plan to mentor with the best in the business - his plan on education, financing and marketing.

He shared his passion.

Today the Minnesota Star Tribune ran a glowing article about his cheese. And this was not the result of some big PR effort, but instead the writer found his cheese at a local co-op, and was hooked.

Here's an excerpt, and a link to the great story about Alemar Cheese Company's Bent River Cheese

Keith Adams is apparently unaware of F. Scott Fitzgerald's maxim that there are no second acts in American lives. A few years ago, the Mankato resident was co-owner of a small chain of bagel shops. Today he's one of the region's up-and-coming cheesemakers.

Although production only began in April, Adams' Camembert-style cheese, which he markets under the name Bent River, is causing something of a sensation among local cheeseheads. "I'm impressed," said Alex Roberts, chef/owner of Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis. "I've never encountered another local cheese like it, and I'm glad we're serving it. It has great character, and I'm interested in watching how it develops."

That makes two of us. This lusciously ripe and creamy cheese is an exceptional effort for a freshman cheesemaker ("Every time I get a compliment I sort of blush," Adams said). Adams is taking a hands-on approach to his new vocation, absorbing knowledge from mentors and learning through all kinds of good old-fashioned trial and error. "Let me put it this way," he said. "I'm currently on production No. 23. I think batch No. 12 was the first one to pass muster. It's a tricky cheese, so it's probably good that I didn't know that when I was starting out, because it would have been too daunting. Ignorance really is bliss."

Adams calls his enterprise the Alemar Cheese Co., an amalgam of his two teenage daughters' names, Alex and Mari. "Camembert-style" sounds glamorous, but Adams' work environment is about as far from the Normandy countryside as a cheesemaker can get. He labors inside a cinder block building in downtown Mankato, a former pizza production facility that's just a few steps from where the Minnesota River takes a pronounced turn, hence the name Bent River.

Milk comes courtesy of cows grazing at the Minar family's Cedar Summit Farm in New Prague, a gold standard among Minnesota farmstead dairies. "You can't make great cheese without great milk," said Adams. "Not that I claim to be a master cheesemaker by any stretch, but I'm bound and determined to get there. That's the equation of life, isn't it? Being happy, and doing something that you love."

RICK NELSON

Bent River cheese (about $21 per pound, www.alemarcheese.com) is available at Seward Co-op, Wedge Co-op, Eastside Co-op, Surdyk's and Premier Cheese Market in Minneapolis, Mississippi Market and Whole Foods in St. Paul, and Twin Cities-area Kowalski's Markets. It's also featured at the Craftsman, Restaurant Alma and Vincent in Minneapolis.

People's Choice and a Late Addition

I found out on Monday that our cheese was voted the number one pairing with the St. John Reserve wine from Morgan Creek, site of the annual Great Grape Stomp. I'm sure being the most local of the region's cheesemakers present didn't hurt. What a nice honor from the good people of the St. Peter Co-op.

Also, I will be at Surdyk's this Friday from 4:30 to 7 p.m., sampling during their annual wine sale--they have a huge selection, and prices are never better.

Goings On

I will be at the "Say Cheese" event at The Great Grape Stomp at Morgan Creek Vineyards in Cambria this afternoon. Not the greatest weather today, but a little wine might help.

Look for an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste section this Thursday.

On Friday, our cheese will be a part of an event honoring Lucia Watson of Lucia's in Minneapolis. The event is being held at Windows on Minnesota on the 50th floor of the IDS Tower.

Finally, I'll be sampling cheese this coming Saturday, October 10th at the Eastside Co-op on Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis.

Perhaps we'll cross paths somewhere along the way. Be sure to say hello if so.