Abstract: A cheese formation tower wherein cheese curds and attendant whey are introduced into the upper portion of a vertical, low friction material lined, tower and the whey is extracted through gravitational, differential pressure/relative vacuum and vibration techniques. As the material reaches the lower portion of the tower the whey has been substantially extracted to provide the formed cheese product. A guillotine or cutting arrangement is provided to cut the formed cheese to suitable lengths which are then extracted from the tower. The invention is particularly directed to cheese units of various shapes and sizes but preferably smaller than the standard, 11".times.14", 40# block. The unit includes cleaning means for cleansing of the entire unit following complete batch formation. The tower ensures satisfactory whey removal and the delivery of properly formed cheeses.