Abstract: An apparatus for and method of processing cheese milk and producing cheese therefrom. The apparatus includes a pair of vats each having an inlet and an outlet. The outlet of the first vat is connected to the inlet of the second vat by a conduit. The second vat is mounted lower than the first vat to enable a gravity feed therebetween. A de-waterer removes whey is provided between the two vats, where the de-waterer is controlled by a pair of valves. One valve is provided in an exhaust from the de-waterer and the other valve is provide between the de-waterer and the second vat. Both vats have stirers mounted therein. The stirer in the first vat is mounted to cut any coagulum that may form therein. The stirer in the second vat is mounted to agitate and provided substantially no cutting of any coagulum that may form therein.

Abstract: A number of cheese block forming towers are fed curds from a central vat. Curd accumulates in each tower and its weight causes whey to be expressed. Individual blocks are severed from the bottoms of the columns of curd by guillotine blades. A controller monitors both the output of each severing device (rate of discharge of blocks and their weight) and the rate of use of curd in each tower. The latter is determined by the same time that the level of curd takes to drop from sensor to sensor. These factors may then be used to adjust the output of severing devices or the charge rate of curd to balance the outputs of the multiple tower.