This Spring, we hit a big milestone for our little Creamery by the bay – our 100th batch of cheese!    While it doesn’t sound like much, when there are only two of you and a make day starts at 0500 and doesn’t end for 12-15 hours, it’s pretty dang cool!

Using what we’ve learned during those 100 makes, we’ve been able to streamline the process (always best if a new pump or piece of stainless is needed) and now down on the 12 hour day side. Just to qualify, that’s from milk collection to completion of clean up. That would be why I always smile when customers ask how many times a day we make cheese.

We’ve also started something a little different.

Starting with a make that happened on our youngest daughter’s birthday, each batch now has a special name attached.

Some are sentimental, like Nelly’s birthday or MOZ, when my brother helped out with a make.

The BIG 100, which also happens to be a new cheese we’ll be introducing this summer, and the following batch 101, were our first double make week of the year that also had the great fortune of a dear friend’s assistance, offering to be stirboy, cheesehand, etc. and, truly the only reason we were able to achieve the double make week success! Thank you, Jeeeem!

Now, as I flip the cheeses down in the vault, I have a little extra remembrance attached to each of these new batches – especially the latest arrival of last week, a tribute to a delightfully wonderful person in our life. Happy Birthday, Auntie Boo – how we wish we were able to be with you to celebrate!