1. Introduction Hilmar Cheese was founded in 1984 and has grown to be one of the world’s largest cheese manufacturers in the world. Together with their business unit, Hilmar Ingredients, they serve customers in over 50 countries. Hilmar started out producing just cheese, but because Hilmar Cheese is always looking for ways to improve their business they were able to build facilities to further process their milk. So in 1994 they built what is now known as the whey protein and lactose plants. Since then Hilmar has found use in 100% of the milk making sure they produce no waste. Although, Hilmar Cheese Company has been expanding their business at their Hilmar facility for many years it wasn’t until 2007 that Hilmar finally opened up a second manufacturing facility in Dehart, Texas. Now less than a decade later they are opening their third manufacturing site, however, this one will only produce Skim and Whole milk powder, no cheese.
Hilmar Cheese Company “specializes in the production of natural cheeses utilized by private labels and national brands, retail, and foodservice companies across America” (Hilmarcheese.com). Their natural cheeses consist of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Colby. However, Hilmar does manufacture other cheeses such as Gouda, Monster, and Mozzarella. Additionally, Hilmar Ingredients manufactures whey protein concentrates, whey protein hydrolysates, whey protein isolates, and three grades of edible lactose: edible, refined, and ultra-refined. The ingredients are sold worldwide and are used in many different products such as: frozen dinners, sports beverages, processed cheeses, and baked good (Hilmarcheese.com).
Hilmar’s success relies on their ability to produce a range of cheeses in large volumes and the flexibility to adjust to their customers’ needs quickly. This remarkable business ability has made Hilmar Cheese Company’s Hilmar location the