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A Cheesy Day In Kenya


Submitted by Eliud Kamau on Thu, 2013-11-14 11:06

- STORIES FROM MAAI MAHIU, KENYA -

It all began by meeting the Whole Foods Market Team Member Volunteers in the morning at Transit Hotel. It being a large team, introductions took quite a while. Ruth, our team liaison and education coordinator, introduced me and Tony to the team and we took over from there as team leaders for the day. It was a highly interactive team and therefore silence was never given a room.

The day was dedicated to taking the team through the entire cheese making process. We began by visiting a goat farm where we met Samuel, one of the farmers who delivers milk to C.T.C. It took us less than ten minutes to reach the farm.

Samuel and his wife who had been anxiously waiting to host the team welcomed us warmly. He introduced himself to the us after which he began taking us through his farm. He took us inside the goats’ pen where we found three goats. Here, Samuel gave a detailed history of each goat and it was really interesting to hear how knowledgeable he was about his job.

Then came the milking. For hygienic purposes, he first washed the underside carefully to ensure that no dirt gets into the milk. To the amazement of many, the goats stood perfectly still as he milked them. It took him fifteen minutes to finish milking all the goats after which he sieved the milk ready for delivery.

Samuel then took us to the field where more goats were grazing. The team engaged him with numerous questions and one could tell by the way he answered that he was a master of his work. He gave in-depth information on the goats from the breed, the history of each and their milk production.

   

 We then left the farm fully loaded with knowledge about the goats and their milk. We brought the milk with us to the milk collection centre where I showed the team how I manage the milk testing, weighing, packing, labeling and storage. It was at this point that I had to answer more questions than I had ever answered in my life. This team was truly eager to learn and I was proud to teach them.

After this, we left for Sunpower Products Ltd, also known as Brown’s Cheese. In less than an hour we arrived at the place where the best cheese in Kenya is made. Our host Delia showed us in. We were served with some refreshments and the environment here was such a breathtaking scene. Delia then took us to the factory where she walked us through the entire process of making Gouda cheese from goat’s milk and Mancheggo cheese from sheep’s milk.

 

It was interesting to learn how long the process can take for different cheeses, some three months, others 6 while some even take a year. The factory was too cold and we therefore had to take less time there for health purposes. We were taken through the farm where we learned more about their cows, pigs and the plants they use. It was really a learning day for each of us.

 

          

Blog by: Eliud Kamau, CTC' s Livestock Co-op Coordinator