FOR our June meeting members of Colebrooke Women’s Institute enjoyed a visit to the Arla Foods Taw Valley Creamery Cheese Factory at North Tawton.

There has been a Factory at the site since 1974 which was originally owned by Express Dairies, then by Milk Link and now by Arla Foods.

They operate for 355 days per year, shutting down for 10 days so that maintenance can be carried out.

They have solar panels and also their own effluent treatment plant.

They process 1.12 million litres of milk per day, which comes from farms within a 30 mile radius of the factory, and have a total storage capacity of two million litres of milk.

They currently make 125 tonnes of cheese every day in large 20kg blocks which are then transported to another factory in the group to be cut up into smaller portions.

The resultant whey is concentrated and made into a powder which is used in infant formula, body building supplements and in the pharmaceutical industry.

The factory is currently being reconfigured and expanded as they will be making a mozzarella type of cheese from 2027 which will be exported.

The site will then cover approx 23 acres.

They currently employ 130 staff on site but they will be recruiting approximately 100 more staff for making the mozzarella type cheese. An additional 700,000 litres of milk will also be required for this.

Adam, the Duty Manager, then took us on a tour of the factory and we were able to see the cheese making process, which is all automated.

Our July meeting will be our annual outing when we will be going to the Fingle Bridge Inn for lunch and then on to Castle Drogo. For further information please contact Andrea Armstrong on 01363 84198.

AA