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2007 Innovator of the Year - Calkins Creamery
Calkins Creamery blends technology and innovation with the daily rigor of operating a dairy farm.
 Emily Bryant Montgomery knows what it is like to grow up on a dairy farm. She and her siblings are the fifth generation raised on Highland Farms, a 240-acre dairy farm established by the Bryant family in 1841 near the eastern edge of Wayne County, PA. Emily left her home to attend Penn State University, obtained a degree in food science, and eventually settled with her husband Jay in California. Both gained knowledge in food processing – Emily took a course in cheese-making at Cal Poly University and Jay worked with an ice cream manufacturing company. Love of family and country living, and the desire to have their children experience the life Emily knew as a child, brought the Montgomery’s back to Wayne County. Their efforts to create a value-added product to improve the farm’s sustainability, while also adding to tourism within the County, has led to Calkins Creamery’s selection as Innovator of the Year.
Calkins Creamery was constructed in 2006 by Emily and Jay Montgomery and the Bryant family. The creamery offers farmstead artisan cheeses in over 10 varieties. All cheeses are produced from raw milk that comes from the Bryant’s herd of 80 registered Holsteins.
Milk from the herd is transferred directly from the milking barn to the cheese vat through underground stainless steel piping. This unique system is efficient, cost effective and allows the milk to remain free of contaminants.
Once in the cheese vat, the milk is transformed into curds and whey using time, temperature, agitation, culture and rennet. After the curds and whey separate, the whey is pumped into an outdoor holding tank and is eventually fed to the livestock. The remaining curds are scooped into molds and are pressed for varying amounts of time depending on the recipe. After drying and brining, the cheeses are transferred into the aging room where they will remain for a minimum of 60 days.
The cheese is sold at local inns, gourmet shops, and farmers markets, as well as at Highland Farms. Retailing the cheese at the farm has created an added bonus – tourism. The creamery’s proximity to a winery, and its bucolic setting within the beautiful Delaware Highlands, has created a new destination for our urban neighbors.
As Highland Farms welcomes its seventh generation, innovation, the use of technology, and an entrepreneurial spirit provide a firm foundation for the success of future generations. |
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