We paid a visit to a dairy that was being run as a cooperative of about 500 small-scale farmers. It is housed in the same building as The Butter Factory, which started operating in 1938, and was run as a cooperative until it was nationalised in 1948. It was privatised after the fall of communism, but the production fell steadily and the dairy was closed down in 2010. The Târnava Mare Agricultural Cooperative was founded in 2011 in order to coordinate production, purchase, processing, marketing and selling of dairy products in this area. Production started in 2013 and the farmers of the cooperative get paid 90% in money and 10% in dairy products, which have been made from the cow’s milk they have sold to the dairy.
The following products are made at this dairy using traditional recipes:
- Brădet smoked cheese
Dalia cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Hârlău smoked cheese
Târnava cheese
Parenica smoked cheese
Rucăr cheese
Trappist cheese
Telemea cheese - Sour cream
- Cheese curd
- Milk
- Buttermilk
- Butter
We were shown around the dairy by the managing director who told us that the buildings were in need of restoration and they kept one truck as spare parts for the other one.
