Hilmar Cheese Company is a cheese and whey products manufacturer with its main site located in Hilmar, California. The privately owned company has over 1000 employees and specializes in the mass production of Monterey jack, pepper jack, colby, colby-jack, flavored jacks, mozzarella, Hispanic and cheddar cheese. As of 2011, Hilmar Cheese processes two million gallons of milk per day, producing over two million pounds of cheese per day. The company's Hilmar facility produces more cheese per year from a single site than any other cheese manufacturer in the world.
History
The company was founded in 1984 by 12 families located in the California central valley; it began production in 1985. Hilmar Ingredients, a division of Hilmar Cheese Company, was founded in 2004 to market the company's whey products to the world. It currently produces over half a million pounds of whey protein and lactose powder per day and ships to over 40 countries worldwide. In March 2006, Hilmar cheese settled a lawsuit with the Central ValleyWater 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. In 2007, Hilmar Cheese opened a new cheese processing plant in Dalhart, Texas. The Company's new cheese and whey protein processing plant in Texas is the company’s first processing plant outside of its Hilmar, California, facility and corporate headquarters. In 2014, Hilmar Cheese opened a new milk powder processing plant in Turlock, California. The Company's new milk powder processing plant in Stanislaus County is the company’s second processing plant outside of its Merced County facility and corporate headquarters. On April 17, 2019, Hilmar Cheese entered into an Agreement with California Dairies, Inc. to sell its Turlock, CA milk powder processing plant. The former Vice President of Operations for Hilmar Cheese Company, Rick Kaepernick is the adoptive father of famed San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick Other: Hilmar Cheese also helps their local residential student by rewarding them with scholarships. The student must be involved with the community in volunteering and must be academically advanced and lastly must have financial need. The scholarship program has 3 different categories so that different types of students with different backgrounds can also benefit. First is for the children whose parents work for the Hillmar Cheese Company, the second category is for the students living in agricultural counties and lastly, the third one is for the kids who are dedicated to agriculture and they do not need to be affiliated with the company. Every year this scholarship is available and 35 students will eat be granted $1,500 towards their college fund.
