Conestoga College is a public college located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It offers more than 200 programs in various fields such as Engineering, Business, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Media and Design, and Community Services.

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This program will teach the practical and scientific knowledge needed to understand small-scale artisan cheese production as well as larger scale manufacturing. It offers a whole system perspective on cheese making, from animal welfare, forage and feed, dairy production, and milk quality. The program covers both the science and art of cheese making by exploring raw and pasteurized milk theory, cheese microbiology, coagulants, curdling mechanisms, and starters. In-classroom theory sessions as well as hands-on and observational cheese making, will focus on the production of lactic, hard, soft, and traditional cheeses. After learning to make cheeses, focus shifts to affinage, with attention to ripening cultures, climate control, rind treatment, and handling throughout the aging process. Show less

Courses
Level 1
Course details
College Reading & Writing Skills
COMM1085

Conestoga 101
CON0101

Introduction to Cheese and History
FOOD1560

Introduction to Cheese Making and Process
FOOD1570

Applied Dairy Chemistry
FOOD1580

Starter Cultures, Coagulants and Other Ingredients
FOOD1590

Cheese Technology
FOOD1600

Advanced Food Safety Training
FOOD1610

Milk Pasturization and Process Control
FOOD1620

Cheese Sensory Evaluation
FOOD1630

Electives: General Education
Student must pass 1 Course(s), selected in the Student Portal from available course options
Level 2
Course details
Mechanization of Cheese Making Technology
FOOD1640

Fundamentals of Cheese Grading and Quality
FOOD1650

Methods of Cheese Aging
FOOD1660

Whey, Whey Utilization, Water and Waste Management
FOOD1670

Applied Dairy Microbiology
FOOD1680

Leadership and Human Resources
HRM1410

Marketing, Merchandizing and Promotion
MKT1520

Program outcomes
Examine the basic science of cheese production, bacterial culture categories and milk production to address basic quality, technical and operational problems relating to cheese body and texture defects.
Apply food processing, quality control and quality assurance principles and practices to the manufacture of safe and high-quality cheese products according to specifications.
Demonstrate safe manufacturing and food safety practices during the cheese making process.
Support the goals of the dairy operation and the responsible use of resources by working in compliance with dairy plant management principles, health and safety legislation and established organizational practices.
Perform tasks responsibly and effectively in accordance with relevant legislation, policies, procedures, standards, regulations, environment protection and ethical principles.
Analyze key components, operational steps, cultures and equipment needed to produce safe quality cheese.
Interact with others as a team member to enhance operational performance and to contribute to the success of a cheese making operation.
Develop ongoing personal professional development strategies and plans to enhance leadership and management skills for the cheese making industry.
Examine cheese varieties and the historical evolution of their methods of production to support quality and product range improvements in typical cheese manufacturing operations.

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You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

How to book:

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it

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