Technical Details
Dairy farmer, Dale Hemminger, explaining cow feed
Our manufacturing plant will introduce into the United States the highest technology cheese manufacturing process in the world. Manufactured in Germany by Alpma, GmbH, the manufacturing process moves through an automated, continuous production line, called a coagulator. It does not include the usual vat process which is historically the basis of cheese production. The Alpma system is much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional systems. As part of our business, experts from Alpma in Germany will continue to be brought to New York State to consult on installation and operation of the plant. Throughout the development of this business, Alpma has provided continous technical assistance in researching the market and the application of their technology to the market. A drawing of their system is below.
Robotic washing of cow before robotic milking
The Alpma system is so efficient, it uses 60% less electricity than normal cheese production methods. In recognition of this efficiency, SCC will receive $250,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) to support this production equipment.
Beyond this main production system, the entire factory is being built with insulation, lighting, and control systems that will make it LEED-certified. LEED is the new standard by which the environmental quality of buildings is evaluated. Currently, many Central New York State farms are shipping their milk long distances. Such shipping has negative impacts on the environment, including the use of diesel fuel. Instead, we will use milk locally, near where it is produced, reducing the environmental impact of shipping. If possible, we will use B-20 biodiesel in milk-hauling trucks.
Cow in robotic milking machine
On the farms which will be producing milk for us, we will encourage and assist in the installation of biogas fermenters, which produce and capature methane from cow manure and other agricultural wastes. This methane, in turn, can generate heat and electricity for use on the same farms. These systems protect local watersheds from manure run-off. They also protect the atmosphere from the methane emitted by non-captured, non-digested, cow manure. In that form, methane is a harmful greenhouse gas.
150 foot long Alpma manufacturing system
While not yet designed, the adjacent religious, wellness, and community center will also incorporate environmental quality measures similar to those in the factory.