Course Dates: TBD | Course fee: $2500
Send an email to our Dairy Foods Trainer Lindsey O’Brien to get your name on our interest list or if you have any questions on the apprenticeship. We will hold a session with a minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 participants. When we get close to our minimum number, we will schedule a session and communicate this with you.
Course Description
The Buttermaker Apprenticeship Workshop is an intensive five-day course covering buttermaking production principles and technology. CDR created this course for aspiring buttermakers who have completed CDR’s Buttermaking Fundamentals and/or Buttermaking Comprehensive and need apprenticeship hours to obtain a Wisconsin Buttermaker License. This unique workshop provides the opportunity to complete a 40-hour apprenticeship with Wisconsin licensed buttermakers and butter graders, and includes unique topics not covered in our other butter short courses. Class size is limited to allow for an interactive hands-on experience. Students will have the opportunity to make unsalted, salted, cultured, high fat/European style, flavored, and blends of butter from mixed milk, sweet, and whey cream.
While the butter is churning, CDR and industry experts will share their knowledge on the topics listed below.
- Preparation and Care of Buttermaking Equipment
- Compositional Analysis of Cream and Butter
- Blending and Standardizing Cream
- HTST and Vat Pasteurization of Blended, Mixed Milk, Sweet, and Whey Cream
- Culturing and Tempering Cream for Buttermaking
- Preparation and Use of Buttermaking Ingredients
- Butter Manufacturing
- Calculating Yield, Salt, and Moisture Adjustments
- Practical Food Safety for Buttermaking
- Grading, Sensory Evaluation, and Discussion of Commercial Butter Samples
- Defects – Causes and How to Resolve Them
- Review for the Wisconsin Buttermaker Exam
Lindsey O’Brien - Dairy Foods Trainer
Contact to express your interest in this course and for updates on when the next session will be held.
Gina Mode - CDR technical course contact
Contact with questions on course content or if this course is right for you.
Course Instructors: Gina Mode | Mellisa Houfe | Ben Ullerup Mathers | Alex O'Brien
Certificate of Completion
Certificates will be printed and issued in-person on the final day of each course for all in-person courses.
Wisconsin Cheese, Butter, or Graders Licenses
Where do I find information on how to obtain my license?
In Wisconsin, all cheese and butter makers as well as cheese graders must obtain their license from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP). A list of requirements for each license can be found on the WDATCP website.