THESE SCENIC PASTURES AND
PRISTINE WHITE BARNS HAVE
WATCHED OVER 70 YEARS OF IOWA
SUNRISES, AND THEY'RE NOT ALONE,
BECAUSE AT MAYTAG DAIRY FARMS,
SOMEONE ELSE SEES EVERY DAWN --
THE CHEESEMAKERS.
>> WE START EARLY IN THE
MORNING.
THE FIRST PERSON COMES IN AT
5:30 A.M.
TO START UP THE
OPERATIONS.
HE'LL GET MILK PUMPING TO THE
CHEESE VATS, AND WE'LL ADD OUR
FIRST CULTURE IN BY 6:30 A.M.
>> THAT INDUSTRIOUS ATTITUDE
CARRIES OVER INTO EVERY DETAIL
OF MAKING MAYTAG BLUE CHEESE,
FROM THE RECIPE DATING BACK OVER
70 YEARS TO SCIENTISTS AT
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, TO THE
HOOPING -- ALL DONE BY HAND --
TO THE AGING -- ALL COMPLETED
UNDER CAREFUL AND KNOWLEDGEABLE
OBSERVATION -- TO METICULOUS
HAND-WRAPPING.
IT'S THESE STEPS THAT SET
MAYTAG BLUE CHEESE APART.
>> WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THE NAME
"MAYTAG," THEY ASSOCIATE IT WITH
ANOTHER INDUSTRY, AND THEY DON'T
REALIZE THAT WE'RE A VERY SMALL,
HANDS-ON CHEESE PLANT HERE.
I THINK PART OF IT IS THAT WE'VE
BEEN DOING THIS IN THIS KIND OF
AN OLD-WORLD WAY OR A
EUROPEAN-TYPE WAY OF MAKING
CHEESE SINCE 1941, AND WE HAVE
NEVER CHANGED.
>> TRADITIONAL BLUE CHEESE IS
MADE FROM SHEEP'S MILK, BUT
MAYTAG'S TRADITIONAL RECIPE HAS
ALWAYS USED HOMOGENIZED COW'S
MILK.
AND TRADITION, AS WELL AS
EXPERIENCE, ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN
THE HARD WORK OF CRAFTING
BETWEEN 600 AND 800 WHEELS OF
CHEESE A DAY.
>> I AM A THIRD-GENERATION
CHEESEMAKER.
MY GRANDFATHER AND FATHER WERE
CHEESEMAKERS BACK IN WISCONSIN.
MY DAD TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE
CHEESE WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD.
ONE SUMMER, I HAPPENED TO SAY,
"I'M BORED," SO MY DAD PUT ME TO
WORK, AND I'VE NEVER BEEN BORED
SINCE.
>> MAYTAG USES LOCAL MILK FROM
DAIRY FARMS WITHIN A 15-MILE
RADIUS OF THEIR CENTRAL-IOWA
FARM.
THE CHEESEMAKERS TAKE PRIDE IN
AGING THEIR CHEESE JUST THE
RIGHT AMOUNT OF TIME.
IT COULD TAKE SIX OR SEVEN
MONTHS, BUT THE FLAVOR,
APPEARANCE, AND QUALITY ARE THE
REWARDS WHEN THESE EXPERT
TASTERS CHECK OUT THE CHEESE.
>> WOW, THAT'S GOOD.
THAT'S REALLY GOOD.
>> I LOOK AT APPEARANCE -- THAT
IS HAS PROPER VEINING, THAT IS
HAS THAT OPEN-CURD STRUCTURE
THAT I'M LOOKING FOR TO DEVELOP
THE MOLD.
THEN I'M ALSO LOOKING FOR AROMA.
IT HAS TO HAVE THAT SLIGHTLY
PUNGENT BUT CLEAN AROMA.
I'M ALSO LOOKING FOR A CREAMY
MOUTH FEEL -- THAT IT'S
SOMETHING THAT'S VERY BUTTERY,
VERY SMOOTH TEXTURE TO THE BODY
OF THE CHEESE.
AND, AESTHETICALLY, I WANT IT TO
BE AS WHITE AS POSSIBLE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
ACHIEVE BY USING HOLSTEIN MILK.
IT HAS A WHITER APPEARANCE THAN
SOME OF THE OTHER BREEDS.
AND THEN I'M LOOKING FOR THAT
SLIGHTLY PUNGENT -- BUT THAT
PEPPERY BITE IS WHAT I REALLY
WANT.
I WANT IT TO CLEAN UP SO IT
DOESN'T LEAVE ANYTHING ON THE
PALATE.
IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE
GONNA COOK WITH OR DEVELOP WITH
OTHER FLAVORS, YOU WANT A VERY
CLEAN, SHARP CHEESE -- THAT
PEPPERY BITE -- BUT YOU WANT IT
TO CLEAN UP, AND IT WORKS SO
WELL IN RECIPES.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY WE APPEAR
ON SO MANY MENUS AND SO MANY
CHEFS USE OUR CHEESE.
IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE THAT LARGE,
BUT THEY SEEK US OUT, AND I
THINK ONE OF THE REASONS IS
BECAUSE IT WORKS SO WELL IN THE
KITCHEN SETTING.
>> FOLKS HERE AT
MAYTAG DAIRY FARMS WELCOME
VISITORS.
THERE'S A RETAIL SHOP, TOURS,
AND A CHANCE TO SAMPLE SOME OF
THIS FAMOUS CHEESE.
THE COMPANY IS STILL OWNED BY
MEMBERS OF THE MAYTAG FAMILY,
AND AFTER MORE THAN 70 YEARS,
THE PRODUCT SIMPLY SPEAKS FOR
ITSELF.
>> IT'S BEEN WORD OF MOUTH.
IT SEEMS TO GET IN CHEF'S HANDS.
THEY TALK ABOUT US.
THEY PUT US ON THEIR MENU.
AGAIN, IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE
THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN SO BUSY
MAKING CHEESE AND TRYING TO
MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF THE
CHEESE THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD TIME
TO FOCUS ON MARKETING.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE AT SOME POINT,
WE WILL HAVE TO, BUT THIS IS
SUCH A STORY THAT IF WE EVER DO
HAVE TO MARKET OURSELVES, ALL WE
HAVE TO DO IS TELL OUR STORY
AND, REALLY, OUR HISTORY, AND
THAT'S REALLY WHY OUR CHEESE IS
WHAT IT IS TODAY.