Say Cheese

Roth Kase expands its Monroe plant

By Jennifer Pfaff

Roth Kase USA Ltd. is wrapping up a major expansion of its Swiss Chalet facility in Monroe. Photo courtesy of Roth Kase USA Ltd.

Green County's agricultural roots are holding fast while subdivisions sprout along the region's northern and eastern
borders.

"All of the communities here want to maintain their atmosphere," said Anna Schramke, executive director of the Green County Development Corp. "You won't see any of the communities going after the big factory. We're trying to expand on the resources we've already got."

In the city of Monroe, touted as the Swiss Cheese Capitol of the United States, that philosophy means holding true to its Swiss
heritage and supporting its cheese makers. This spring, Roth Kase USA Ltd. expects to wrap up a major expansion of its Swiss Chalet facility on the southwest corner of highways 81 and 69.

The two-pronged project will provide its employees a more pleasant break and locker area while substantially increasing production space, said Mark Bechen, maintenance manager.

Roth Kase specializes in the manufacture of Gruyere, baby Swiss and other cheeses.

Employees formerly took their breaks in a basement room, a dull environment for workers but a potentially useful space in cheese production. So last fall, with the help of multiple local contractors, Roth Kase built a new break room and bathrooms on its first floor. A 1,000-square-foot make room, so named because it is where cheese is made, also was added.

This spring, the company will convert the former break area into a cheese-curing cellar, Bechen said.

Roth Kase's plant expansion is helping the company add two new product lines to its manufacturing business. Photo courtesy of Roth Kase USA Ltd.

Once the cheese is made, it will be taken to the cellar to cure in a temperature-controlled environment, where it will be stored until its flavor has matured. Curing is a process the manufacturer takes seriously, training its employees in the art of curing through an exchange program with cheese makers in Switzerland.

"We'll have to remove the old lockers and actually demolish the whole room, demolish the walls to make it one room," Bechen said. "The curing of the cheese requires a cold room, so we will run cold water through pipes to create an ambient type of cooling."

Once the cooling coils are in place and operational, the cellar will hold steady at a chilly 12 degrees Celsius.

The Roth Kase plant expansion will help the company add two new product lines to its repertoire in 2005 while maintaining its commitment to its core products.

"The expansion will allow us to double our capacity to meet the increasing demand for Gruyere, one of our signature cheeses," Roth Kase President Steve McKeon said.

The addition won't diminish the Swiss Chalet's traditional exterior, either. The rooflines, to be completed this year, are designed to match the existing building.