Located in Perth County, Ontario, it is one of the rare settings that has endured change and has remained a constant in the remarkable Village of Millbank, which started in 1848.

Created in 1908 from a vision held by several local farmers, a cheese factory was set into operation. For a mere twenty dollars a share, and a grand total of eight hundred dollars, these entrepreneurial farmers purchased a village foundry on Waterloo Street.

The creation of Millbank Cheese and Butter was a logical and necessary step for a growing village. Local farmers were producing surpluses in their dairy operations, so it made economic sense to have a local industry that could support this boom.

The procurement [1946] of stainless steel agitators to stir the cheese curd; the introduction [1950] of Colby cheese; and the purchase of the factory’s first bulk milk truck, enabled Millbank Cheese and Butter’s fortunes and those of its employees to rise steadily. Even a temporary setback from a fire in 1961, that destroyed the older original portion of the factory, could not impede its growth.

In 1972, Millbank Cheese became the first Canadian factory to have an automated cheese-maker, imported from Europe. This “cheddar master” did it all: it stirred the cheese curd; it sliced, matted, and turned the cheddar slabs; and then it milled the cheddar slabs into curds, which could be sold as curds or pressed into cheese blocks.

Between 1980 and 1983, office and retail space were created; an expanded warehouse added storage capacity with enough space to store 500,000 kg of cheese. This warehouse capacity was necessary because cheese production would reach two million kilograms annually by 1984-in both traditional 90 kg “rounds” as well as the new 240 kg boxes (later cut into more convenient 20 kg blocks for retail sale. When one adds in one million kg of butter production, it is easy to see that Millbank Cheese and Butter was the economic engine of the village, employing, at its peak, 35 full-time employees with annual sales over $12,000,000.

This political decision had a major impact on Millbank Cheese and Butter. Like many small companies, they fell prey to business takeovers that targeted the factory’s precious production quota. So began a revolving door of owners: J.M. Schneiders in 1984; Ault Foods in 1995; and Parmalat in 1996. In 1999, Parmalat ended Millbank’s production, but kept the retail store open until 2003. It seemed Millbank Cheese and Butter was coming to an end.

But again, as in Millbank’s pioneer past-a story that is satisfyingly familiar-ninety area families, the majority traditional farm families operating 100 acre farms, negotiated a purchase agreement with Parmalat to buy the factory and return it to its community roots.

It was their goal to revitalize the cheese plant as a community-based corporation-with a vision of diversity that would use the plant’s manufacturing and cold storage capacity to house five corporations in two separate areas of the building. The new community-based corporation is called Millbank Cheese & Cold Storage Inc.

In early manufacturing, Millbank innovated with the making of its cultures, and its cheese and butter. The scale of its manufacturing operations were considerably larger than today’s production. Common to both processes is the automated stirring of the cuds, and the hand-turning of the slabs of matted cheddar. In the past, to improve efficiency, Millbank moved from crafting smaller 20 and 40 squares of cheese to the crafting of 240 pound squares. A large hydraulic press used to be used to remove the brine and whey while a vacuum chamber was employed to reduce the openness and improve the texture of the cheese.

Today, a smaller pneumatic cheese press is used at the plant to remove the whey and to assist in the forming of the cheddar cheese blocks. The production of the Monforte artisan cheeses, often takes place in small kettle vats. This cheese is formed using low input technology, in small plastic moulds.

The vacuum chamber is no longer available, so the former vacuum chamber room has been transformed into a cheese ripening room for Monforte’s cheeses.

For food safety and food quality reasons, Millbank made significant investments in plant infra-structure upgrades: floors have been designed to withstand high temperatures and the harsh effects of cleaning solvents; stainless steel drains have been installed; block walls have been built; and the refrigeration, heating, and air circulation and air pressure systems have been upgraded. The plant’s infra-structure has been designed to reduce the risk of health hazards and cross-contamination. Plant protocols include: staff training; comprehensive food safety standard operating procedures; and laboratory testing of products at various stages of the process to further ensure food safety.

Today’s factory operates with approximately 18 full-time and 10 part-time employees and makes important economic contributions to the Millbank area as well as other communities. The trade relationships with family farms and local manufacturers, puts food on the table for many families. Perseverance and a belief in the village illustrates once again how Millbank has retained many of its founding community principles.

Factory Returns To Its 1908 Roots Millbank Cheese Gets Revitalized As A Community-Based Corporation

In the late 1960s, “bigger is better” emerged as the dominant practice in Canadian agriculture. Traditional family farms, which used to include small dairy operations, some hogs, laying hens, broilers, vegetables, and fruit and field crops, were not immune to these changes, nor were the small, locally-owned-canning factories and dairies, such as Millbank Cheese & Butter Ltd..

Significant changes were seen in Ontario’s dairy industry in the late 70’s and 80’s. A new quota system and other changes were used to regulate the milk supply market. The quota system worked well for farm families that acquired quota for low or no cost during the early years, but it soon became a barrier. Young farm families could not afford the escalating cost of quota needed to ship milk to market. By 2007, the quota to ship the milk from one cow to market was worth almost $28,000.

When production quota became necessary for a farmer to ship milk to market, plant supply quota became necessary for a dairy plant to process milk into cheese. In 1984, the Ontario government passed a law to prevent licences from being issued to new dairy companies. Larger corporations then began competing to buy smaller cheese factories to increase their plant supply quota.

The rest is history

The group created a goat cheese co-operative, Mornington Heritage Cheese & Dairy Co-op Inc. Mornington’s goat milk production began at Bright’s Cheese and Butter Ltd. in 2000 and continued at several other dairies until October 2004 for cheese manufacturing. The founding directors of Mornington were Al Giller, Malcolm MacDonald, Ed Bennett, Bob Reid, Brad Lindner and Ross Bender.

In early 2003, Parmalat Canada agreed to negotiate a purchase agreement with Ed Bennett, who was acting on behalf of more than 90 Millbank and area families, mostly small-scale traditional farmers. The group formed a community-based corporation known as Millbank Cheese & Cold Storage Inc. The deal closed in September 2003.

The founding directors of Millbank Cheese & Cold Storage Inc. were Ed Bennett (President), Mel Herrfort (Vice-President), Murray Bauman (Secretary-Treasurer) and Daniel R. Gerber. Osiah Martin, Aaron Weidman and Leroy Ebersol have served as advisors to the board since its inception.. Millbank’s core staff includes Malcolm MacDonald and Sam Zehr, plant engineers; Simon Zehr, warehouse manager; Mary Edith Zehr, assistant to the warehouse manger; and Linda MacDonald, store manager. Ruth Klahsen and Rachel Bauman have served as Millbank’s cheesemakers.

Factory Outlet Store

The renewed and growing business of the Factory Outlet Store has been appreciated by the community investors and directors and is a key element in Millbank’s success. The store manager, Linda MacDonald, has family roots in the plant run deep. Grandfather Mosey Ropp and father Nelson Ropp had served as directors of Millbank Cheese & Butter. Linda’s twin brother Larry served as assistant general manager for many years, while husband Malcolm was the stationary engineer.