More than two years after the start of its construction, the giant Leprino Foods mozzarella plant In Lemoore, Calif., began production last month.

“Everybody was so giddy about the fact that we're actually making cheese,” plant controller Mike Haywood told the local media. “It was great to actually get to see the fruits of your labor.”

It will take a year for the plant to reach full production, at which point it will be converting 6 million pounds of milk into 600,000 pounds of mozzarella cheese every day—enough to top 800,000 large pizzas. By then, Leprino says, the Lemoore plant will be the largest mozzarella cheese factory in the world.