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The Cheese Guide 13 Reserve. "The make process is similar except for the coagulant and the curing time," Druart said. The animal rennet produces a paste that's more elastic than that produced with a microbial rennet, allowing the Surchoix to age without developing splits and cracks. "We want to avoid that as much as we can," Druart said. "When we use a microbial coagulant, the structure of the cheese is a little more fragile than when we use the animal coagulant." All three of these Grand Cru cheeses are made with pasteurized milk rather than the raw milk that's traditionally used to make hard cheeses.. Like traditional alpine cheeses, though, the Grand Cru cheese is cooked in a copper vat that provides very even heat transfer. In the vat, it's inoculated with a proprietary blend of starter cultures. "It took a little while to figure out what was the best culture blend," Druart said. "After that, the next step, once the starter culture has been added, the coagulant is added to change from liquid to solid and transform the full vat of milk into what looks like a yogurt." After the curd has formed, it's cut and stirred, then heated further to remove more moisture, and then it's pressed into forms to shape the cheese. "This is very unique for hard cheeses," Druart said. "The calcium is influential in bonding the proteins, and the structure has more flexibility." From there, the cheese goes into a brine for about 24 hours, where it absorbs some salt, which helps form the rind and contributes some flavor. "It just brings a little bit of flavor into the cheese so it's not flat," Druart said. After they're brined, the wheels start their aging in the curing cellars, where they're washed with a solution of water, salt and Brevibacterium linens, the microbe responsible for the reddish rind that makes a wheel of Surchoix look tickled pink to be recognized as one of the world's very best. From there, the care of the affineurs who wash and monitor the wheels, the microbes, and time all do their work. "I shouldn't have a favorite. We have other cheeses," Druart said. "But if you look into the category, there are two major favorites: Roth Private Reserve and Surchoix. I love those two products. I'm not ashamed to go and visit friends in Europe and say this is what we're making in the U.S." "There is some fantastic cheese being produced, and I speak for all of my colleagues who have won cheese awards – the main thing is to show the American customer that there is some fantastic cheese being produced here," he added. "But it doesn't stop here. We want to develop other cheeses that have as much potential. They may be very different, but we want people to be aware of the quality of the cheese available on the American market." Prairie Farms Dairy and Swiss Valley Farms have entered into a merger agreement. Both companies are farmer-owned dairy cooperatives and recognized leaders within the dairy industry. The combined entity will bring together two well-known brands and will expand sales opportunities for both cooperatives. Under the terms of the agreement, Prairie Farms will merge the assets of Swiss Valley Farms into Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. Assets include five manufacturing plants that produce cheese and whey powder located in: Luana, Iowa; Shullsburg and Mindoro in Wisconsin; and Rochester and Faribault in Minnesota. Swiss Valley Farms CEO Chris Hoeger will continue to oversee the operation of the plants. The combined company will operate under the name Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. The terms of the merger agreement must be approved by cooperative members from both companies. "The merger with Swiss Valley was driven by our commitment to build value for our cooperative members and is consistent with our growth strategy. Swiss Valley's contributions will allow us to diversify our product portfolio and expand into new markets," said Ed Mullins, Executive Vice President and CEO of Prairie Farms. Chris Hoeger, Swiss Valley's CEO, stated, "We are very excited to be joining forces with Prairie Farms. This merger offers numerous benefits for our cooperative members and is an ideal opportunity to bring together two industry leaders. We will leverage the strengths of both companies to offer a broader range of products and to enhance and expand relationships with customers." As Prairie Farms and Swiss Valley collaborate on pre-merger integration activities, their employees and customers can expect a business-as-usual environment. If approved, the deal is expected to close mid-2017. Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful dairy cooperatives in the Midwest, with over 600 farm families, 5,700 employees, 35 manufacturing plants, over 100 distribution facilities and annual sales of over $3 billion. Prairie Farms is known for setting the standard for milk flavor innovations and producing award winning milk and dairy products. With headquarters in Carlinville, Illinois, the Prairie Farms distribution footprint covers over 30 percent of the United States; products are available in grocery chains, mass merchandiser stores, club stores, convenience stores, dollar stores, drug stores, schools, food service outlets and warehouse distribution centers. The Prairie Farms charitable giving program, Our Caps, Your Cause, supports a variety of non-profit organizations. Swiss Valley Farms is a dairy cooperative, headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, with five cheese production facilities that manufacture award-winning Swiss, Baby Swiss, Blue, Gorgonzola, Cream Cheese, Neufchatel, Gouda and Sweet Whey. Swiss Valley also produces pasteurized process cheeses, cold pack club blends, enzyme-modified cheeses and cheese analogs. Swiss Valley operates two subsidiary companies, Rochester Cheese and Caves of Faribault. In a joint venture with Emmi-Roth, Swiss Valley Farms also co-operates White Hill Cheese Co., LLC in Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Swiss Valley Farms has 400 dairy producer members in Iowa, Wisconsin, northern Illinois and southern Minnesota. Prairie Farms Dairy and Swiss Valley Farms Agree to Merge

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