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Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. Talk of the Town
2007 Volume 3

Tidings of Anticipation, Season’s Greetings, and…Respite for the Crew!

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It is only a few days before Christmas and soon, the sound of heavy machinery, clatter, clamour and hammering (no, not from reindeer hooves!) eminating from the cheese factory site will, for a time, cease. All will be calm as the Fifth Town construction team and the many others involved in putting up this small but complex building pause to spend the holidays with family and friends.

Despite all the dedication and hard work, we are officially 6-8 weeks behind schedule in part, due to a delay in securing enough FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) wood, weather, and a few green design "knots" that had to be worked out. But, it takes time to build Platinum LEED "green" dairy that can reduce overall energy needs by 67% as well as biologically convert whey and wash water waste to near potable water without leaving the site. And as everyone involved will agree, the details really matter. So, we go as fast as we can but the priority is on making sure the green design is implemented with precision and care.

Contemporary author Martha Grimes once said "We don't know who we are until we see what we can do". And this nicely captures the spirit which forms the foundation of this project.

At the moment, we are scheduled now to open sometime in March/08.

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That said, there has indeed been tremendous progress since our last update. The 9000 Sq. ft geothermal field has been excavated. The pipes have been laid and covered with cement to aid the conductivity of the earth's heat. The windmill pole has arrived and the base has been poured. The inverted roof is on. Radiant heating pipes inside are installed. The ramp to the caves and the cave walls are being poured this week. We also had our bio-wetland formally approved. The Aqua-wetland system, which involves the installation of 4 large underground treatment cells, is also under way. We anticipate that equipment installation will begin in February. If you would like to see more pictures, visit the photo gallery on the Fifth Town website at www.fifthtown.ca

Meanwhile, warm wishes of health and happiness during the holy holiday season. Watch for early update in 2008!

Milk Producer's Update

In the beginning, we plan on processing 7000-8000 litres per week and expect the volume to grow to 10-15 000 litres per week by year end. We are thrilled to announce that 5 local family farms are formally signed up with 3 more farms well in progress!

Meeting Notice!

On January 15th, 1-3pm, we will be holding a supplier meeting to iron out pick up details and finalize plans for start up! Anyone interested in supplying Fifth Town is welcome to join us. Please email info@fifthtown.ca to let us know if you plan to join us!.

FT Staffing Update-Positions Available

In January, we will begin interviews for a full time Customer Care & Retail Store Manager. Position is based in the County.

And as of April, we will be looking for part time staff to assist with cheese wrapping, shipping, and the retail store. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact Petra Cooper at petrac@fifthtown.ca.

Other Staff News!

We welcome fellow Slow Food Convivium member Dave Smythe from Consecon as our intrepid new Milk Truck Driver! More on Dave in early 2008!

CONGRATULATIONS TO Stephanie Diamant and Todd Burly for successfuly obtaining their HTST Operators license! Also, an extra congratulations to Todd for also obtaining his Milk and Cream Grader's License!

Also, Petra completed the Spanish Cheese Making course at the University of Vermont in December! Watch for Spain-inspired cheeses in the future!
www.fifthtown.ca
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