There are people who at some point in their lives want to open their own business and start making money doing what they love.

Cheese production, with some skills, imagination and knowledge, can bring good profits, especially since cheese in Russia is a product that requires active import substitution.

However, the question of how to open a cheese factory in Russia is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

First of all, decide:

Who and where will be ready to buy your products (sales points). This is a top-priority issue that needs to be resolved, perhaps even to conclude preliminary agreements. Find out the wishes and needs of your potential consumers so that the cheese business is focused on the end consumer, and not on your fantasies .;

Cheese factory with what volumes you want to open (be guided by the results of the survey);

What types of cheeses do you want to produce (choose also based on questions, choose at least one type of each type (soft, semi-hard and aged hard) to speed up the payback process and win over more consumers);

Secondly, study GOSTs and SanPiNs related to cheese making and dairy production.

Thirdly, carefully consider whether you need it? Are you ready to fight for your success in the cheese market?
If yes, then you need a business plan on how to open a cheese factory.

How to open a cheese factory? Business plan

If you wondered how to open a mini cheese factory, then first decide what cheese output per day / per year you put into the concept of “mini”. It can be 50 kg per day, 250 kg per day.

How to open a small cheese factory or how to open a large private cheese factory is not a fundamental question, since the difference is only in costs. And the points of the business plan will coincide. So, reflect the following points in your business plan:

1. A business plan is written after all calculations have been made.
2. Goals and idea of ​​the project
3. Who is the leader
4. Project price
5. Source of investment

The payback period of the project and other key points regarding the opening of a cheese factory. It is the business plan that will be read first of all by the investor, whose help you may be counting on. When making calculations, the following costs should be taken into account (do not forget to attach all calculations to the business plan as an application):

• Capital investments
• Fixed monthly expenses
• Income

How to open a cheese factory in Russia is a very important question and it interests everyone who plans to open a business in this field of activity. Where to run first?

In order to open a successful cheese production enterprise, it is not necessary to build large production facilities and invest tens of millions of rubles. Opportunities modern equipment allow you to open a turnkey mini-cheese factory on minimal space and with minimal investment, not exceeding one million rubles. Let's take Italy for example. Most of the cheese factories in Italy are small farm complexes with up to 100 livestock, a mini-cheese shop and a production shop.

It is beneficial to open cheese production for those who already have their own dairy cattle farm. It turns out that we open the processing of our own milk, respectively, we will receive more competitive end products, in this case, cheese.

Although it is possible to open a mini-cheese factory for novice entrepreneurs who do not own their own farm. The main task will be to find an inexpensive raw material: milk. The required volume of daily supply is only 500 - 1500 liters per day. Such a volume can be provided by one or two farms and your region.

Let's start with sales...

Planning any business in the field of production begins with the search for channels for the sale of products. First, we must think about who we will sell cheese to, and only then, where and on what equipment to produce it. It will not be difficult to sell a quality product if there is a large city nearby and your prices will not be higher than those on the market. There are several options for the implementation of hard cheese:

• wholesale dealers;
• through your own shop
• through food markets;
• exit trade from a car shop;
• through wholesale deliveries to small retail grocery stores;
• through intracity trading networks (you will not get into federal networks with small volumes);
• delivery to canteens, cafes and restaurants.

Do not be too lazy to study the domestic market, visit all possible enterprises, offer them options for future cooperation.

Business registration

The organizational form of a small cheese production can be an ordinary individual entrepreneurship. Although very often manufacturing enterprises choose the form of LLC, that is, a legal entity. The fact is that with the status of an LLC, it is easier to sell your products, since a legal entity is trusted more than an individual, which is individual entrepreneur. The simplified taxation system is most often chosen as the taxation system: 6% of revenue or 15% of profit.

room

To organize the production of cheese in small volumes (up to 100 kg of cheese per day), a room with an area of ​​20 sq. m. These are small areas that can be allocated in any farm or rented a separate room, the rent of which will cost about 30-50 thousand rubles per month. Equipment for a mini-cheese factory is quite compact in size. The height is not more than 90 cm, and the diameter is not more than 70 cm.

Basic requirements for the premises: availability of hot and cold water supply, heating, ventilation and sewerage systems. In all other respects, the requirements for cheese dairies are the same as for other food production: the presence of natural light (no basements!), furniture only made of plastic or metal, the availability of fire safety equipment - fire extinguishers and fire shields. The walls must be covered with tiles up to a height of 2.5 m, and the rest must be painted with non-toxic paint.

Cheese equipment

The complete set of any cheese dairy consists of the main and auxiliary equipment. The main equipment is a stainless steel container with a volume of 50 liters or more. The container can be heated with a heating element, gas, hot water circulation or steam. Cooling occurs due to the circulation of cold tap water. Additional equipment includes racks, press tables, ripening chambers, cheese molds, coolers and filters for milk, salt pools, etc.

The best suppliers of equipment for cheese factories are Italian manufacturers. For example, Sfoggiatech supplies turnkey mini-dairies for the production of semi-hard cheese. You can purchase a set of 120 liters and 360 liters. In a 120-liter mini-cheese factory, up to 500 liters of milk per day can be processed, and in a 360-liter plant, up to 1,200 liters per day. The milk being processed can be goat, cow, sheep, etc. Such a cheese factory is ideal for small farms, restaurants and supermarkets.

Russia also has good producers cheese dairies. For example, the company PK MOLEKSPERT LLC. They produce cheese dairies under the Cheese-Master 150 brand. The quality of their equipment is at a fairly high level, and the prices are much cheaper than their Italian counterparts.

So, a cheese factory with a capacity of 70 to 1000 liters of milk per day will cost from 150 thousand rubles. From 100 liters of milk on this equipment you can get:

• 7-9 kg of hard cheese;
• 5-6 kg of sour cream (fat content 20%);
• 13-15 kg of soft cheese;
• 6-7 kg of sour cream (fat content 20%);
• 100 liters of various drinking products: kefir and snowball, yogurt and fermented baked milk, varenets and ayran, tan, etc.

Business plan for organizing a mini-cheese factory with a production capacity of 100 kg of hard cheese per day.

Capital investments:

• purchase of a Cheese-Master 150 turnkey mini-cheese factory + delivery and installation - 300 thousand rubles;
• preparation of the premises (repair) - 200 thousand rubles;
• staff training - 30 thousand rubles;
• organizational expenses (including business registration) - 50 thousand rubles;
• other expenses - 50 thousand rubles.

TOTAL: 630 thousand rubles.

Fixed monthly expenses:

• rent of premises (50 sq. m.) - 30 thousand rubles;
• wages + insurance contributions (4 people) - 80 thousand rubles;
• utility costs - 30 thousand rubles;
• advertising - 20 thousand rubles;
• other expenses - 50 thousand rubles.

TOTAL: 210 thousand rubles.

• production volume per month (22 working days) - 2200 kg (100 kg per day);
• selling price of 1 kg - 200 rubles;
• the cost of raw materials in 1 kg - 35% or 70 rubles;
• monthly revenue (minus the cost of raw materials) - 286,000 rubles.

Hence, profit before tax will be: 286,000 - 210,000 ( fixed costs) = 76,000 rubles. From this amount, we subtract the USN tax (15% of the profit) and get a net profit of 64,600 rubles. The payback of the project, subject to 100% shipment of manufactured products, will come after 10 months of operation of the cheese factory.

* Calculations use average data for Russia

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

The essence of the project is to open a mini-cheese factory in the city of Samara. The cheese factory will include a mini-cheese shop and a small company store during production. The cheese will be produced by handicraft according to old French and Italian recipes, as well as author's recipes. Due to the uniqueness of the format, the absence of competitors in this segment, low opening costs, the project has high chances for further development.

The produced integral indicators allow us to speak about high efficiency project (given in Table. 1). The development region also has great potential: Samara is the focus of the region's solvent audience, a densely populated city with more than 1 million inhabitants.

Table 1. Integral performance indicators

Discount rate (r-year), %
Discount rate (r-month), %
Payback period (PP), months
Discounted payback period (DPP), months
Net present value (NPV), rub.
Return on investment ratio (ARR), %
Internal rate of return (IRR), %
Yield Index (PI)

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY AND COMPANY

The project considered in this business plan involves the creation of the production of elite soft and semi-hard cheeses and their retail sale through a company store and small wholesale. The mini-workshop and its own point of sale will be located on one of the central streets of the city (Kuibysheva Street) in a rented room.

Samara is a major city in Russian Federation, in the Middle Volga region. regional center of the Samara region. Samara is a major economic, transport, scientific, educational and cultural center with a population of more than 1.17 million people (as of early 2016). The city has developed such industries as mechanical engineering, oil refining and food industry. All these facts speak about the high level of well-being of the inhabitants of the city.

On August 7, 2014, Russia introduced a ban on the import of certain types agricultural dairy products, including cheeses, from the countries of the European Union, as well as Norway, the USA, Canada and Australia. Before the ban, according to estimates by the Federal Customs Service, imported cheese accounted for 50% of the market (2013). The countries that fell under the sanctions accounted for up to 70% of imports, due to which an active process of import substitution began. According to Alto Consulting Group, over 581 tons of cheeses and cheese products were produced in Russia in 2015, which is 17.6% more than in the previous year.

Positive dynamics is also observed in 2016. Thus, in January-April, more than 184 tons of cheese were produced, which is almost 3% more than in the same period of the previous year. At the same time, the share of imported products fell by 51% in 2015 alone, and Belarus took the key positions among importers (78.3% of all deliveries). Nevertheless, despite the process of import substitution that has begun, domestic producers and the remaining suppliers have not been able to completely replace not only ordinary hard cheeses, but also the so-called noble elite cheeses from Europe. This segment remains very promising for domestic business. In addition, there is a tendency to a general deterioration in the quality of cheese and its falsification with vegetable fat, which in fact is not cheese, which means that high-quality cheese will certainly find its buyer.

Taking into account the current market situation and the shortage of cheese products, the forecasts for the development of this area can be described as cautiously optimistic.

The production of cheese will take place in an artisanal way according to the traditions of European family cheese factories, thanks to which it will be possible to avoid the costs of expensive lines that are used in large enterprises. Small volumes of production (up to 16 tons per year) will be compensated by the uniqueness of the product. The mini-cheese factory will produce soft and semi-hard cheeses based on cow's and goat's milk according to traditional French and Italian recipes. At the moment, there are practically no worthy alternatives to them in the grocery chains of the city. Also, great attention will be paid to our own unique recipe with the addition of various unusual spices.

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Sales are proposed to be carried out through a company store at the cheese shop, as well as through small wholesale sales to city restaurants. Tables will be installed inside the store so that customers can enjoy the cheese right on the spot and, if they wish, pick up good wine with it.

The advantage of the project lies in the low level of initial investment. The main investment will require the purchase of equipment and installation, as well as repair of the premises. Investments in the project will amount to only 840 thousand rubles. The project will be implemented at the investor's own expense.

Table 2. Investment costs of the project

	NAME	AMOUNT, rub.
The property
	Repair of the workshop and shop premises
Equipment
	Production equipment set
	Trade software
Intangible assets
	Recipe development
	Employee training
	other expenses
working capital
	working capital
	Commodity filling of the store
	Total:	840 000
	Own funds:	840 000

3. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS

The company's product will be an elite soft and semi-hard cheese aged from 1 to 3 months. Due to the location of the production and the place of sale in the same building, the product will be available to people with an average income level. The cost of production will make it possible to set more affordable margins than in retail chains and restaurants that have cheeses of this type in their menu. Table 3 shows the commodity nomenclature.

Table 3. Nomenclature of goods and variable costs

	PRODUCT	COSTS PER UNIT, rub.	TRADING MARGIN, %	UNIT COST, rub.
Cheeses from cow's milk
	Camembert 100g.
	Cachotta original 100g.
	Cachotta with rosemary
	Valence 100g.
	Crotin 100g.
	Ricotta 100g.
Goat milk cheeses
	Crotin 100g.
	Cachotta 100g.
			Total:

As can be seen from the nomenclature, there are two main types of goods: cheeses based on goat's and cow's milk. Taking into account the uniqueness of the offer, a rather high mark-up is set for the manufactured products, which does not depend on the offer of competitors. Pricing is influenced by such factors as the recognition of the type of cheese, its taste, production cost, the solvency of the local population, the location of the cheese factory in the city center.

The raw materials used are cow and goat milk, the suppliers of which are two farms located outside the city limits. On one of the farms they keep goats, on the other cows. Both farms are located in ecologically clean rural areas adjacent to the city. Thus, it is possible to achieve a low cost of cheese production and minimize transportation costs. All cheeses are packaged in branded packaging: cardboard paper, plastic containers and gift bags with the logo of the cheese factory.

4. SALES AND MARKETING

Products will be sold at retail through its own company store, as well as small wholesale to several restaurants in the city, which include elite cheeses in their menu. End consumers are men and women aged 18 to 65, mostly middle-aged 30-45 years, with an income level of "average" and "above average".

Given the small volume of production, the duties of a sales representative are performed by an individual entrepreneur. He is engaged in market research, negotiating with potential clients, concludes supply contracts and so on. He also carries out work on training employees of the company store, which are the face of the entire company. Their duties will include not only direct sales, but also communication with the client.

The Russian consumer is not in the habit of treating cheese as a permanent component of his diet, is not familiar with the traditions of artisan cheese making, and often has very vague ideas about goat cheese. With this in mind, the seller will act as a consultant, talking about the differences in the types of cheese, its compatibility with various foods and drinks. In addition, free cheese tastings will be held for guests of the cheese factory. If desired, the visitor will be able to accommodate and taste the cheese at the table, ordering a glass of wine to go with it. The concept of the company will include a benevolent attitude towards each client, maintaining an atmosphere of hospitality and family comfort. The city already has experience of private cheese making, but there is no serious competition in this direction yet.

5. PRODUCTION PLAN

The mini-workshop for the production of cheese will be located in the center of Samara, on Kuibyshev Street, in a rented room. An area of ​​22 square meters will be used for the workshop. meters, for a company store, a bathroom and a utility room - 24 sq. meters. The premises have cold and hot water supply, sewerage, ventilation and heating, thus the cheese factory meets the typical requirements for food production premises.

Since the format of an artisan cheese factory has been chosen, similar to Italian family cheese factories, expensive equipment is not used in cheese production. For cooking, you need a pasteurizer and a press table, as well as special containers, cheese molds and refrigerators for storage and ripening. The production technology includes the processes of preparing milk for curdling by adding special substances, heating, the processes of shaping and aging the cheese, and then packaging and selling it.

Given the productivity of 50-60 kg of cheese per day, up to 1320 kg of cheese can be cooked per month with 22 days of operation. Since about 1 kg of cheese is obtained from 10 liters of milk, the volume of daily supplies will be 500-600 liters. Before starting production, the business owner will need to train employees in all necessary processes and recipes.

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If we assume that the cheese factory will not operate at full capacity, but only at 30% load (taken as the basis for business plan calculations), then the monthly income from sales will be 760 thousand rubles. The net profit in this case will be about 164 thousand rubles. With such indicators, the cheese factory is able to reach payback already for the 5th month of work.

6. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

IP was chosen as the legal form of business. Management functions are assigned to the entrepreneur. His responsibilities, in addition to leadership, will include participation in the cheese making process, as well as cooperation with suppliers and wholesale customers. To work in the cheese dairy shop, an additional two people will be needed. The company store will require the hiring of 3 more employees. You will also need your own accountant. Thus, the staff of the cheese factory will include 7 people (staffing is presented in Table 5). For the delivery of raw materials from farms, the services of a hired forwarding driver will also be required.

Table 5 staffing and payroll

	Position	Salary, rub.	Quantity, pers.	FOT, rub.
Administrative
	Accountant
Industrial
	Cheese factory worker
Trade
	Shop assistant
	Total:			150 000
	Social Security contributions:			45 000
	Total with deductions:			195 000

7. FINANCIAL PLAN

The financial calculations of this business plan are calculated for a three-year period of operation of the cheese factory. It reflects investment costs, variable and fixed costs, and tax liabilities.

The structure of investments includes the repair of premises for the placement of production and a trading shop (200 thousand rubles), the purchase of necessary equipment(350 thousand rubles), as well as intangible assets (90 thousand rubles).

The fixed costs of the cheese factory will include rent, advertising costs, utility bills, selling and management expenses, transportation and fuel costs. Depreciation costs are calculated on a straight-line basis over a period of 15 years. The structure of fixed costs of the enterprise is presented in Table. 6. Detailed financial plan presented in Appendix 1 of this business plan.

Table 6 fixed costs enterprises

8. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

The indicators presented in Table. 1, allow us to assert the effectiveness of the project. The payback period of the project is 5 months, the discounted payback period is equal to it. The NPV (Net Present Value) is 4,047,311, which is well above the initial investment level. The yield index exceeds 1, and the internal rate of return (IRR) exceeds the discount rate, which also indicates the investment attractiveness of the project.

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On the shelves of retail stores there is a wide range of cheese products. Moreover, the demand for high-quality cheese is steadily growing. Homemade cheeses, private cheese dairies, as well as large cheese factories, which have been pleasing customers and gourmets for more than a dozen years, find their buyers. In the article, we will consider the implementation of a business plan for the production of cheese, give practical advice on its implementation, and weigh the pros and cons.

Benefits and Risks of a Cheese Business

World cheese consumption is growing, there is always cheese products in retail, which are in stable demand - all these are signs that any, even the smallest cheese production business, has the potential for development, has a chance to gain a foothold in the consumer market. Today, when the government provides significant support to agricultural producers, stimulates the creation of new jobs, creates conditions for import substitution, it's time to invest in food production.

According to experts in business organization, among the various productions of the dairy industry, the cheese business has the minimum number of risks and the greatest number of advantages.

Cheese is a modern fast food product that combines useful properties with excellent taste. If the business owner focuses on the ease of use of cheese products, slicing, convenient packaging for a quick snack, the company will have a huge market among fast food lovers, healthy food enthusiasts, gourmets.

After the introduction of retaliatory sanctions on the import of agricultural products into the country, a niche was vacated for cheese producers. Previously, more than half of all cheeses sold in Russia were imported from abroad.

Statistics confirm the growing consumer preference for natural hard cheeses, which are of higher quality and healthier than soft cheese products. However, only high-quality cheese with excellent taste characteristics will overcome the competition. At the same time, it is far from always possible for a manufacturer to keep a high price for products - the purchasing power of the population differs depending on the region. Optimal consumer demand should be expected for a product with excellent taste characteristics at a cost from the lower price segment.

However, cheese production also has its risks:

• The cheese making business requires a large start-up investment.
• Strict observance of standards (67.100.30 Cheese), GOSTs (27568–87, 52685–2006, 52686–2006, 52972–2008, 53379–2009, etc.) is required.
• Any violation of the recipe for the preparation of the product is fraught with losses.
• The country produces insufficient quality milk at low prices.
• There may be interruptions in the supply of raw materials.

Business plan

The first step to building a successful business is creating a well thought out business plan. This document is not only strategic, but also practical, as it contains goals and objectives for the creation and development of production, allows you to evaluate specific costs when putting the enterprise into operation. Planning determines the sequence of actions for successful work, indicates future steps to achieve the planned output indicators, establishes a pricing policy, and calculates the expected profit.

Before forming a marketing strategy, to identify a niche, they analyze the market, a potential target group of buyers, plan sales volumes, assortment list, sales volumes of cheese in accordance with the required level of production.

Most enterprises of the dairy industry consider a territorial marketing strategy as a starting point, when, after the launch of production, nearby territories are first developed: city districts, nearest villages. After the establishment of stable demand, along with the availability of opportunities for expanding production, the development of neighboring regions will begin, cooperation with large federal retail chains is being established.

Profitability calculation

A large workshop or a cheese production plant is opened in regions with a low purchase price of milk, and it is desirable that the market could talk about an overabundance of raw materials, rather than its lack.

Regular costs for the operation of a small workshop that produces about 20–24 kg of cheese per day from 200 liters of milk fluctuate between 1.7–2 million rubles per month. This includes:

• purchase of raw materials;
• rental of premises;
• employee salaries;
• electricity costs;
• the cost of storage and transportation of the product;
• taxes.

In addition, you will have to pay at least 1.2 million for the purchase of the necessary equipment.

Table: how much does a workshop day cost

Monthly costs for the purchase of raw materials (an average of 22 working days) will amount to 99,000 rubles.

Purchase prices of large retail chains of well-known inexpensive brands of cheese - 250 rubles. for 1 kg. That is, 250 * 22 kg \u003d 5500 rubles. can be a potential daily income in cooperation with chain stores. Such income does not cover the cost of mini-production. The purchase of a mini-line for the production of cheese will pay off in 3–4 years only if you have your own dairy herd, which guarantees regular supplies of milk at a cost of around 10 rubles, as well as prices for 1 kg of the finished product from 300 rubles. Only under these conditions and guaranteed demand, the profitability of the enterprise will be 20%.

Only a large cheese factory with industrial production volumes will be able to receive a stable profit on the supply of cheese for retail chains at a purchase price of 250 rubles.

From plan to action

How to draw up documents

A small cheese production is formalized in the form of a “peasant farm”. With such an organizational and legal form, it will be possible to significantly save on paying taxes: the accrual of agricultural tax (ESKhN) in the amount of 6% comes not from turnover, but from profit (income minus expenses).

When organizing a large cheese business, the owner will have to take care of obtaining a license for the production of food products, certificates of conformity, since this process is an integral part of the organization of food production. You will need to purchase or rent premises, draw up title documents (LLC or IP), conclude contracts for the supply of raw materials.

To obtain a certificate of conformity, a package of documents is provided, including a completed application form, documents legal entity, certificate of sanitary compliance, contract, veterinary certificate, sample label for future products.

What kind of cheese to produce

In total, there are more than 2,000 types of cheeses on the market. The most common of them:

• Fresh cheeses. Products with curd texture, made without pressing. The most famous representative of this group is the Italian Mozzarella, to which buffalo milk is added during production. This group includes "Mascarpone", "Feta", "Ricotta", "Suluguni", "Adyghe cheese", etc.
• Pressed uncooked. These are yellow cheeses with a hard rind, tender cheese mass in the young, spicy in the mature product. In the manufacture of cheeses, the curd mass is finely crushed, pressed, molded, salted, and then aged for up to a year. This is how the well-known varieties Gouda, Edam, Maasdam, Cheddar, etc. are produced.
• Pressed boiled. Such cheeses are produced with a light yellow center and large heads on the edges by mixing fresh and settled milk with enzymes. To obtain a characteristic taste, the finished product is aged for a year. These are cheeses of Parmesan, Emmental, Gruyere, Beaufort varieties.
• Soft cheeses with white moldy rind. According to technology, after salting, such a product is dipped into a special solution containing mold spores, which forms a characteristic crust during aging for 2-6 weeks. Bright representatives of this group are the French cheeses Brie and Camembert.
• Soft with a washed red rind. Due to the red mold, the cheese has a characteristic color, a pronounced smell and a spicy taste. Such taste delights are achieved by repeated washing in a saline solution during the ripening stage. These are Epuass, Marual, Livoro, Munster.
• Blue. Popular cheeses whose flesh is riddled with blue or green mold. The product is kept until whey drains completely without boiling and pressing. A few weeks later, the mass is rubbed with salt, mold spores are added inside, which grow within a few months, taking the form of veins. According to this technology, the Swiss "Roquefort" is made from sheep's milk, from cow's milk - varieties "Gorgonzola", "Stilton", "Danablue", "Dor Blue", "Furm d'Amber".
• Goat or sheep milk cheeses. A white product with a specific odor and taste characteristic of goat or sheep milk, made using various technologies, with or without mold. The most common varieties are "Shabishu" made from goat's milk, "Chevre" with a pleasant aroma and delicate taste, "Saint-Mor" with a black crust of wood ash.
• Processed cheeses are produced by melting the rennet base with milk, cream, curd additives, fillers, spices.

If you decide to produce goat or sheep cheese, then be sure to consider that such indicators as the possible production volume, the cost of raw materials, as well as the demand for the final product in this case will be very different from those for cheeses made from cow's milk.

To determine the main production strategy, they study the assortment list of products offered by competitors, analyze sales volumes for each item. Solid rennet cheeses of well-known varieties (Russian, Poshekhonsky, Hollandsky, etc.) are always in stable demand from the consumer, but there is high competition in this segment. There is less competition among producers of soft sour-milk cheeses, however, even here, at the initial stage of production development, one will have to fight for each buyer.

When developing a pricing strategy for a project, marketers study competitors' prices. In large cities and regions with high purchasing power, the main focus is on the products of the “elite” and intermediate groups (“Dor Blue”, “Roquefort”, “Bree”, “Camembert”, “Maasdam”, etc.), in regions with an average solvency - for high-quality cheeses of well-known varieties (Mozzarella, Gouda, Cheddar, Edam, Russian, etc.).

According to 2013 statistics, Russians prefer to buy hard cheeses of the following varieties:

• "Russian" - about 25% of the total sales;
• "Dutch" - 17%;
• "Poshekhonsky" - 15%;
• "Kostroma" - 11%;
• "Gouda" - 8%.

Of the processed cheese products, buyers prefer Yantar - 43%, Sausage - 38%, as well as cheeses with various additives from popular foreign brands - 24%.

Photo gallery: types of cheese most in demand among Russians

Processed cheese "Yantar" is chosen by 43% of buyers "Sausage" cheese product is still popular among Russian consumers "Kostroma" cheese belongs to the most famous varieties of low price category "Poshekhonsky" cheese variety is notable for its low price "Russian" cheese variety is the leader in terms of volume sales in Russia Gouda cheese is great for making homemade pizza Dutch cheese is preferred by 17% of Russians

In a crisis, when launching a new product on the market, entrepreneurs often tend to a dumping strategy, i.e., they deliberately lower the prices of goods in order to attract a large number of buyers, conquer new sales markets and crowd out competitors.

An entrepreneur's knowledge of cheese making technology will be a significant advantage when starting a production. Those who first thought about the cheese business should not be upset: for a decent wages it is possible to attract an experienced technologist or a manager who has the practice of starting a cheese factory from scratch to the enterprise.

Opening a cheese factory requires large investments, which will pay off only after 3-4 years of profitable operation of the enterprise. Some entrepreneurs at the initial stage of work enter into an agreement with large factories and perform one or more operations for them. technological cycle cheese production: they carry out the primary processing of dairy raw materials, undertake obligations to melt the cheese mass, provide storage and aging of hard cheeses, and package the products of a partner manufacturer.

room

The production of each type of cheese requires specialized equipment, so it is important to decide in advance on the type of production activity.

The production area is divided into zones in accordance with the stages of cheese production, which are equipped with specialized equipment to automate the processes of each cycle and smoothly transition from one operation to another. For the first technological stages, containers for storing raw materials, bathtubs, containers, industrial refrigerators are installed in the workshop. On the large industries equip the production workshop, a platform for fermentation of the milk mass, separate the place for salting the cheese heads and the storage room. The minimum area of ​​the mini-workshop will be 15 square meters. m, plant - 350 sq. m.

Equipment

When opening an enterprise, it is necessary to purchase universal equipment that allows you to simultaneously produce hard and soft cheeses.

Table: the minimum set of production equipment for a room of 15–20 sq. m

This kit is enough to process 200 liters of milk daily into 20-24 kg of cheese. To service the production, it is necessary to hire two employees, install a power supply panel with a capacity of at least 20 kW.

The minimum cost of equipment for a mini-workshop will be 1,200,000 rubles, the price of factory equipment can reach 50–80 million rubles.

Raw materials

The following dairy products are necessary for cheese making: whole milk, skimmed milk, cream, as well as biological bacteria responsible for fermentation of the milk mass, enzymes, pepsin, salt, additives, thickeners, baking powder. For all these products, the manufacturer must obtain GOST certificates of conformity, otherwise the production will not meet the standards of cheese making.

Milk is the basis for making cheese. To ensure that production does not stop, the supply of dairy products must be carried out regularly in the planned volume. For this, it is important for the plant to conclude contracts for the supply of raw materials with dairy farms, peasant farms, and reliable private suppliers. In the contract for the supply of products, it is important to prescribe the requirements for its composition, daily and monthly volumes, delivery methods, the procedure for settlements with the supplier (cash or bank transfer, payment term).

It is important to organize large-scale cheese production only with a sufficient amount of raw materials at reasonable purchase prices. The advantage will be your own dairy herd with a mini-factory, which will provide a minimum raw material load of production facilities without the threat of equipment downtime.

Cheese production technology in the workshop and their storage

Hard cheeses are made from fatty cottage cheese by pressing, pressing, and aging for a month at a low temperature. Soft cheeses are made using a similar technology, but with a reduction in pressing time or without any pressure at all.

In cheese production, in order to obtain a quality product, it is necessary to follow all the technological stages:

• Weigh the milk purchased from suppliers, take an analysis for compliance with GOST.
• Observe the standards for the storage of dairy raw materials (temperature 6-8 degrees, period - no more than 24 hours).
• Properly clean the milk raw materials, cool.
• Conduct pasteurization at the time set by the technology (20–25 seconds) at a temperature of 75 degrees.
• With the help of a separator, normalize milk raw materials according to the level of fat content.
• Heat the mass, introduce the bioconcentrate, knead for 10-15 minutes, hold for 14 hours at the set temperature.
• Ensure curdling of the prepared milk mass for 30–40 minutes with the addition of special components to form a cheese pattern and taste characteristics.
• Heat the protein mass to remove excess moisture.
• Carry out the cutting of the cheese clot in accordance with the technological size.
• Give the cheese the desired shape with a press.
• Dip the finished product in a container with a 20% saline solution for 2-3 days at a temperature of 8-12 degrees.
• Dry the salted cheese on special racks for 2-3 days at the same temperature as when salting.
• Place the cheese for ripening in special chambers with a temperature of 10–12 degrees, a humidity of 75–85% for 15–60 days, turning every 3–5 days.
• After 20 days from the date of production, dip the cheese head into a paraffin alloy for 2–3 seconds to form a protective crust.

Batches of finished cheeses are placed in refrigerators. If the product must be transported to the place of storage, during transportation it is important to observe the temperature regime in the range from -6 to +10 degrees, avoiding a sharp increase or decrease in temperature.

In the storage of the finished product, it is important to monitor compliance with one of two options for temperature and humidity.

Table: cheese storage modes

Hard cheeses are stored for up to 8 months, Swiss - from a year to 18 months. at a temperature of minus 4-5 degrees, soft - up to 4 months.

Cheeses tend to absorb odors, so finished products It is not recommended to store together with foodstuffs with specific and pungent odors. American marketers conducted studies that proved that a cheese product with a unique aroma and taste is much more in demand among buyers than cheese with excellent taste characteristics, but without a pronounced smell.

Industrial storage of cheese involves a separate room with constantly maintained temperature and humidity parameters.

How to profitably sell a product

It is important to think about ways to sell the product produced in advance, even at the stage of developing a business plan. Stable demand and well-established sales channels will ensure the rapid growth of any production. If an entrepreneur plans to keep product prices in the middle or lower price segment, there will be no difficulties with the sale of goods.

For example, hard cheeses of popular brands in the domestic market can be sold:

• through wholesale sales;
• through own outlets;
• in food markets;
• with the help of mobile sales at car shops;
• small wholesale deliveries to small private shops;
• through district consumer societies (RayPO);
• at catering establishments.

Having mastered the domestic market, manufacturers are building cooperation with federal retail chains.

For a high price, you can sell only high-quality goods - the modern buyer is picky and quickly recognizes a fake cheese.

According to marketing research, buyers want to buy cheese:

• made from high quality ingredients (natural organic milk), and this must be marked on the packaging;
• affordable and at the same time high quality;
• to compensate for the lack of calcium in the diet;
• to increase the amount of protein you eat.

If the manufacturer takes this into account in the content of the text on the packaging, and also positions the product in accordance with the wishes of consumers, sales can increase several times.

Budget option: making cheese at home

Home cheese production will be beneficial if you have a subsidiary dairy farm. High-quality cheese can be prepared at home, but, most likely, the cost of a dish will be comparable to the price of a store product. For its preparation, acidified milk is used in the proportion of 10 liters per 1 kg of finished hard cheese or 1.5–2 kg of soft cheese. If it is necessary to mix milk from different cows or milkings, it is important to cool it to 12-18 degrees.

Cheese should not be cooked from fresh milk - it should stand for at least 4 hours.

Cheese sourdough is prepared in advance. To do this, half a liter of milk is fermented during the day in a warm place.

You can make sourdough with the addition of yeast. Mix 200 g of milk, 120 g of yeast and leave the starter warm for a day. After that, the mixture is divided in half, 200 g of milk is also added and left for another day. The whole procedure is repeated for 6 days, and on the seventh day 400 g of milk is added.

Rennet enzymes accelerate the clotting of milk mass. They can be purchased at the store in the form of tablets or extract, which are added to milk at room temperature.

Step by step recipe

Here is one way to make cheese at home:

• 5 liters of fresh milk are poured into a metal container, heated to 26 degrees.
• 200 g of cheese starter are placed in the heated mass, the container is covered and placed in a warm place for one day.
• The aged mass is cut into small cubes with a side of about a centimeter, put them back in a metal bowl, after which, with constant stirring, they are heated in a water bath to 40 degrees.
• After the cheese product hardens, it is removed from the container, wrapped with gauze in two layers, the whey is decanted, washed with warm running water.
• Salt is added to the washed mass, cream is cooled in accordance with taste preferences.
• A ball is formed from the finished product, which is wrapped with gauze and placed under a three-kilogram press for 10–12 hours. Cheese is ready!

In household conditions, cheeses with a simple recipe are considered optimal for making: “Dutch”, “Yaroslavl”, “Brynza”, “Mascarpone”.

The main advantage of the final product will be its safe natural composition: such cheese does not contain palm oil, harmful chemicals and additives.

The cheese production business is beneficial for agricultural enterprises and full-cycle farms. If the farm has an excess of milk that needs to be processed, own production of popular cheese varieties will bring additional income and create jobs in the countryside. When concluding agreements with retail chains and contracts with milk suppliers, a medium-sized and large-sized plant will become profitable. However, such production requires significant capital investments.