Hilmar Cheese Company

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Hilmar Cheese Company is a cheese and whey products manufacturer located in Hilmar, California. The privately-owned company has approximately 600 employees and specializes in the mass production of American cheese and cheddar. As of May 2006, Hilmar Cheese processes 11 million pounds of milk per day producing over 1 million pounds of cheese per day. More from one site than any other cheese manufacturer in the world.

[edit] History

The company was founded in 1984 by 12 families located in the California central valley. It began production in 1985.

In March 2006, Hilmar cheese settled a lawsuit with the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board over alleged violations of process water treatment and waste discharge. The settlement amounted to $3 million most of which will be put toward an environmental study. However, it allows the company to continue with its current process water discharge.

Hilmar Cheese is now in the process of building a new cheese processing plant in Dalhart, Texas. There was a ground breaking in the first quarter of 2006. The Company's decision to build a new cheese and whey protein processing plant in Texas will be the company’s first processing plant outside of its Hilmar, California, facility and corporate headquarters.