Certificate In Professional Cheese Making

This program will teach the practical and scientific knowledge needed to understand small-scale artisanal cheese production as well as larger scale manufacturing.

It offers a whole system perspective on cheese making, from animal husbandry and welfare, forage and feed, dairy production, and milk quality.

The program covers both the science and art of cheese making by exploring raw and pasteurized milk theory, cheese microbiology, coagulants, curdling mechanisms, and starters.

In-classroom theory sessions as well as hands-on and observational cheese making, will focus on the production of lactic, hard, soft, and traditional cheeses.

After learning to make cheeses, focus shifts to affinage, with attention to ripening cultures, climate control, rind treatment, and handling throughout the aging process.

Program Outcomes

• Examine the basic science of cheese production, bacterial culture categories and animal husbandry and milk production to address basic quality, technical and operational problems relating to cheese body and texture defects.

• Apply food processing, quality control and quality assurance principles and practices to the manufacture of safe and high quality cheese products according to specifications.

• Demonstrate safe manufacturing and food safety practices during the cheese making process. 

• Support the goals of the dairy operation and the responsible use of resources by working in compliance with dairy plant management principles, health and safety legislation and established organizational practices.

• Perform tasks responsibly and effectively in accordance with relevant legislation, policies, procedures, standards, regulations, environment protection and ethical principles.

• Analyze key components, operational steps, cultures and equipment needed to produce safe quality cheese.

• Interact with others as a team member to enhance operational performance and to contribute to the success of a cheese making operation.

• Develop ongoing personal professional development strategies and plans to enhance leadership and management skills for the cheese making industry.

• Examine cheese varieties and the historical evolution of their methods of production to support quality and product range improvements in typical cheese manufacturing operations.

Level 1

• Course Details

• College Reading & Writing SkillsCOMM1085

• Conestoga 101CON0101

• Introduction to Cheese and HistoryFOOD1560

• Introduction to Cheese Making and ProcessFOOD1570

• Applied Dairy ChemistryFOOD1580

• Starter Cultures, Coagulants and Other IngredientsFOOD1590

• Cheese TechnologyFOOD1600

• Advanced Food Safety TrainingFOOD1610

• Milk Pasturization and Process ControlFOOD1620

• Cheese Sensory EvaluationFOOD1630

• Electives: General Education
  Student must complete a minimum of 42 Hours

Level 2

• Course Details

• Mechanization of Cheese Making TechnologyFOOD1640

• Fundamentals of Cheese Grading and QualityFOOD1650

• Methods of Cheese AgingFOOD1660

• Whey, Whey Utilization, Water and Waste ManagementFOOD1670

• Applied Dairy MicrobiologyFOOD1680

• Leadership and Human ResourcesHRM1410

• Marketing, Merchandizing and PromotionMKT1520

Career Opportunity

• Process Control and Machine Operators, Food and Beverage Processing

• Supervisors, Food and Beverage Processing

• Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing

Admission Requirements

Entry Requirements:

English Requirements:

If English is not your first language or you've received your education in a language other than English, students must produce evidence of their English Language Proficiency:

• Internet-based (iBT) TOEFL: 80
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.0 with no band less than 5.5
• PTE Academic (Pearson Test English): 53-57

Other Requirements:

No