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September 2025 , Story

Production at Hochland: How our cheese is made.

Two Hochland employees at the coagulator

Good cheese is the result of patience, care, expertise in cheese-making, and years of experience. Here is an overview of the key production steps:

The journey from raw material to the refrigerated section

A man is connecting a blue hose to a milk collection truck at the milk collection center.

1. Our raw material

Fresh milk is the foundation of our products and therefore our most important raw material. We have long-standing partnerships with most of our milk suppliers, often spanning several generations.

Stainless steel milk ripening tanks with connected piping and technical equipment.

2. Ripening of the milk

The milk is pasteurized – that is, briefly heated – and then curdled in large tanks using lactic acid bacteria. This process takes several hours and is known as ripening.

A coagulator in which the thickened milk is cut into small cubes using a stainless steel knife.

3. Curd

The curdled milk is cut into small cubes, creating what is known as curds. Now the whey can drain off, and we’re already a step closer to making cheese.

Plastic cheese molds on a production line, ready for further processing of the freshly made cheese.

4. Diversity is born here

To make hard and semi-hard cheeses, soft cheeses, or white cheeses, the curd is poured into molds. Various factors, such as the size of the curd grains, the degree of pressing, and the aging period, determine how soft or firm the cheese will ultimately be.

A machine cuts the cheese into even slices or pieces and transports them further via a conveyor belt.

5. Razor-sharp

Using modern slicing machines, the cheese is cut precisely into slices or pieces.

A Hochland employee inspects IWS discs on a production line.

6. To die for

Cheese is also the main ingredient in our processed cheese: it is heated together with other ingredients such as butter, whey powder, and skim milk powder. A small amount of melting salt helps the various ingredients melt into a creamy, smooth mixture.

Two employees are checking the packaging of cheese slices on a Hochland production line.

7. Smart Packaging

Cheese chunks and slices are packaged in convenient, resealable containers. Processed cheese is available in spreadable form or as slices. Spreadable varieties are also hot-filled, for example into tubs or as classic cheese wedges. Hochland sandwich slices are cooled on a conveyor belt, sliced, stacked, and then packaged in resealable containers.

A Hochland employee in the palletizing department removes boxes from a conveyor belt.

8. On the pallet, ready, go

The packages are placed in boxes and stacked on pallets. Our packaging experts know exactly how to arrange the boxes so that everything stays in place. This ensures that our delicious products arrive fresh and safe at supermarkets and to people all over the world.

A Hochland employee is holding a sandwich made with whole-grain bread and slices of cheese. Wood paneling can be seen in the background.

9. Enjoyment Guaranteed

In Germany, people consume about 26 kilograms of cheese per person each year. To ensure a wide variety and freshness at all times, our products are regularly stocked on the refrigerated shelves – enjoy!

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