Abstract: An apparatus for draining whey from cheese curd. The cheese curd to be treated is contained within an open ended box or container and the lower end of the box is enclosed by a support plate while the upper end of the box is enclosed by a perforated lid. The support plate is provided with a plurality of drain holes and is also formed with a series of downwardly extending grooves which extend from the interior of the plate to the peripheral edge. The grooves are generally V-shaped in cross section and have a greater depth than width. During vacuum draining of the cheese curd, the whey is drained through the holes in the support plate as well as along the grooves to thereby provide improved drainage characteristics for the mass of cheese curd.