The Swiss Valley Farms executive management team chartered a Food Defense Team to specifically address concerns of how to keep the facility and the products safe and secure. The team performed a thorough risk analysis and review of existing quality and food safety systems to identify areas of vulnerability regarding product tampering and facility security. The review created specific expectations regarding Food Defense Systems to complement the current quality and food safety expectations.
Before any equipment is started, associates initiate an ATP (adenosine triphosphate) swab program in order to monitor the efficiencies of the sanitation. Managers perform “deep-dive” CIP audits to verify and inspect equipment cleanliness, and there is a daily walk-through audit. Quality at the plant is high. According to the January 2012 Interstate Milk Shippers list, the bulk tank unit at Luana received an enforcement rating of 96 and the receiving station a perfect 100.
These good manufacturing practices, plus experienced cheesemakers, produce award-winning cheeses. But Swiss Valley Farms can’t rest on its laurels because there simply is no time to rest. In Luana, cheesemaking is a 24/7 proposition.
At A Glance
Location: Luana, Iowa
Additions/renovations: Acquired in 1967 when Swiss Valley Farms merged with the Northeast Iowa Dairy Cooperative. 1971: renovated to produce Swiss in 100-pound blocks. 2001: installed state-of-the-art Swiss cheese making equipment. 2010: installation of four new silos.
Size of the plant: 88,000 square feet
Number of production employees in the plant: 90+ employees
Products made: 100-pound Swiss and Baby Swiss blocks Annual production: 27.5 million pounds Whey powder in 50-pound bags. Annual production: 16.2 million pounds Cream cheese and Neufchatel in 3-, 30- and 50-pound containers. Annual production: 5.7 million pounds Acid set cream cheese in 5-pound and barrel containers
Total processing capacity: 1.2 million pounds daily
Pasteurization type/units/capacity: Swiss: plate heat exchanger at 63,000pph. Cream cheese: plate heat exchanger at 33,000pph. Whey products: tube and shell at 30,000pph
Certifications: Kosher, Halal, USDA, HACCP and BRC
Number of shifts: Three
Storage silos: 17, with a storage capacity of 4 million pounds
Warehouse: 9,640 square feet; 29 rows; 1 shipping and receiving bay
Storage capacity: 320,000 gallons for raw milk; 9,000-square-foot cooler storage
