Agropur shows passion through cheese innovation
Cheese has been a staple of diets around the world for ages. It’s a wholesome and nutritious food, considered simple and basic.
Yet there’s a great deal of science behind the cheesemaking process, and as such, there is still plenty of room for ingenuity. Agropur’s Cheese Innovation Team is passionate about the many possibilities. They set forth every day to solve challenges for customers and create cheeses that meet specific functionality needs or texture and flavor characteristics.
Ram Kumar, Agropur’s Director of Product Development for cheese, said strong relationships are the main ingredients to any successful project.
“Innovation, for me, is working side by side with our customers,” he said.
Members of Agropur’s Cheese Innovation Team show their dedication every day in developing cheeses that can check every mark on a customer’s specification list. They also provide technical support for all cheese manufacturing operations across Agropur’s seven US facilities.
Suresh Sutariya, a Regional Product Development Manager for Agropur, said one of the team’s key goals is to help set customers apart from their competition.
“Everyone wants to be unique in the market,” he said. “Some want a different flavor. Some need a different texture or color intensity. We work to develop a recipe that satisfies their needs.”
Each project is a puzzle. It takes drive, commitment and plenty of trial and error. But members of the team say they relish the challenges whether they set out to achieve the right browning, the perfect cheese stretch or a longer shelf life.
The group relies on knowledge, experience – and a healthy dose of enthusiasm.
“I always knew I wanted to work with cheese,” said Product Development Senior Analyst Aubrea Southard. “I’ve had a passion for cheese as long as I can remember.”
Southard arrived at Agropur with a background in food science. She has a keen interest in the intricate interactions that transform milk into so many different cheese styles and varieties.
Agropur’s innovators take a wide array of variables into account when formulating their game plans. Temperatures and mixing methods come into play. It’s a matter of using the right cultures and enzymes in the right amounts.
There’s far more to high-quality cheese than many realize.
“People know that it tastes good,” Southard said, “but they don’t know why it tastes good.”
It all starts with strong communication. Kumar said the customer is involved at every step from ideation through commercialization.
“It feels like the customer is part of the innovation team, and that helps quite a bit,” he said.
The team works with each of Agropur’s cheese plants to solve technical issues and ensure smooth operation. Projects in the plants aim to lower costs and create processes that line up with sustainability goals.
Product development entails lab testing and sensory analysis. They use a pilot plant to craft recipes in small batches before moving to commercial scale. Agropur partners with universities when high-level testing is required. Innovation also works closely with Agropur’s operations team throughout projects to ensure customers ultimately receive the product they envisioned.
Some projects take significant amounts of time, and there are no guarantees that any course of action will succeed.
Members said the diversity found on the Innovation Team is valuable when projects pose a challenge. Some are scientists while others bring the artful side of cheesemaking after coming up through the dairy industry.
Mike DeMuth, Regional Product Development Manager, said no two days are the same, but the drive doesn’t change. Together, they work to develop and improve products with the customer and end user at top of mind.
He said it’s always fulfilling to know his work will ultimately provide great enjoyment to people across the country and around the world.
“There’s a lot of pride when you go to a grocery store or go into a restaurant, and know you had a hand in developing that product,” DeMuth said. “It’s definitely satisfying.”