Abstract: An pasta filata method of making cheeses that is capable of producing traditional hard and semi-hard cheeses of the Swiss and Baby Swiss varieties is described. Pursuant to the method, cheese milk at between 84.degree. F.-96.degree. F. and 0%-4% milk fat is inoculated with a bacterial culture appropriate to the variety of cheese being made. A milk coagulant is added to the cheese milk to form curd, which is cut. The temperature of the curd and whey mixture is raised a total of between 0.degree. F.-18.degree. F. over a period of time ranging from 20 minutes to 60 minutes. A portion of whey is removed from the curd. When the pH of the curd and whey mixture drops to between pH 5.80-6.20 the remaining whey is removed and the pH of the curd is allowed to drop to between pH 5.10-5.30. The curd is washed with fresh water at 45.degree. F.-75.degree. F. and dry-salted. The curd is fed into a pasta filata cheeses mixer/molder and cooked under hot water, thereby raising the temperature of the curd to between 120.degree.

Abstract: A natural cheese having at least 210 milligrams of calcium per 28 grams of said natural cheese. The calcium enriched natural cheese comprising: a calcium material suspended in a natural cheese by dispersing the calcium material generally throughout a cheese milk and processing the cheese milk into a natural cheese. The natural cheese has at least 0.0075 grams of calcium material per each gram of natural cheese. The method of producing a predetermined natural cheese enriched with a dispersible calcium material includes the steps of adding the calcium material to a predetermined processing liquid to form a slurry, agitating the slurry for a predetermined period of time, dispersing the slurry in a cheese milk prior to setting the cheese milk, and completing a cheese manufacturing process.