Bright Cheese 150th anniversary

Bright Cheese and Butter Mfg Co Ltd is marking its 150th anniversary with an open house and plant tours on Aug 17th.

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Bright Cheese was started in 1874 by a group of local dairy farmers. Most of the current shareholders have had their family shares passed down through the generations. They are fiercely guarding Brights heritage and independence to this day.

What makes Bright cheese unique and special? According to Stefan Cartmale, Bright Cheese General Manager they still make cheese in a tradition that is no longer considered economically sound. Many other companies make cheese by standardizing their milk. Bright Cheese receives whole milk from local farms and utilizes whole milk from the start to the end of the process. Bright Cheese continues to use HTST pasteurization methods which are much gentler on the milk compared to some new pasteurization methods that cook the milk so hot and so quickly that it needs other ingredients added for stability. For cheddars that are going to be held specifically as aged cheddar in the old and extra-old categories, Bright uses an even gentler method called thermization – a method of heating milk where it is not brought to pasteurization temperature. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency considers this “raw” milk and therefore it goes through thorough 3rd party inspection before being allowed release to the public as food safety is of vital concern. “Many will find that thermized cheese vs pasteurized cheese has many desirable properties not the least of which is flavor,” added Stefan.

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During the open house there will be a limited quantity of five-year-old cheddar crafted at Bright and hand selected from their Organic Cheddar line for the 150th anniversary celebration. This cheddar was selected by cheese maker Spencer Haskett whose family has been involved with the factory at Bright for many generations.

Spencer identified this particular cheese as “one that would not disappoint traditional cheddar lovers.” It was ear marked for their 150 anniversary celebration early on in the cheese making aging process. It will only be available in one of their 150th celebration cheese boxes at Bright Cheese

Bright Cheese is available across Southern Ontario. Most of their customer base is small local shops and farm shops where local tradition and quality are important factors when choosing food purchases.

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“Our cheese isn’t always the fanciest, but it is pure and the ingredients and processes we use to make it are simple and pure and for the most part, local.” noted Stefan Cartmale.

“We will continue to support those small local markets as best we can and stay in our lane – the one that has kept the company running independently for 150 years.”

Bright Cheese Heritage – “Farm to Table for 150 years” quality and dedication to the craft of cheese making.

During celebrations Stefan Cartmale, General Manager Bright Cheese and Butter Mfg. Co Ltd will be conducting factory tours every 1/2 hour between 10am and 3pm. Visitors interested in taking a tour are advised to sign up in advance of the day. Space is limited – as only so many people can be accommodated in the plant at one time. Interested in taking the tour contact Leigh-Ann Kunkel at [email protected] to sign up.

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