Paddling off into tillamook cheese Satisfying Cravings for Over 100 Years
By Nancy Steinberg
M
ost of us really don’t understand the food production process. We know, vaguely, that chicken nuggets come from a bird, peaches come from a tree, and milk comes from a cow. But we don’t know much beyond that, and sometimes we don’t want to know (see the aforementioned chicken nuggets). Much nutritional philosophy posits that we would be healthier if we did know exactly where our food comes from, how it is processed, and how it gets from farm to plate. In the interest, therefore, of furthering your family’s food IQ (and having nothing to do with the free samples, of course), take a free self-guided tour of the famed Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook. Here you can gain a better understanding of how that sharp cheddar or sweet cream butter goes from the cow to your table. Along the way, you’ll also learn more about this successful company and an important facet of the history of the Tillamook
community. Dairy cows have been chewing their cud in Tillamook County for well over 100 years (currently, there are nearly as many dairy cows in Tillamook County as there are people – about 24,000 cows and 25,000 residents!). As coastal residents know all too well, it can be difficult to grow most crops here, but grass grows like crazy, providing plenty of fodder for cows. The first commercial cheesemaking operation in the county opened its doors in 1894, and the industry grew exponentially from there. In 1909, ten creameries got together to form the Tillamook County Creamery Association, a farmer-owned co-op, which now operates the Tillamook Cheese Company. Currently more than 100 dairy farmers are members of the co-op, which imposes high quality standards on the local industry and helps with marketing as well. Tillamook continued on page 7
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