Visit to Schreiber Foods

I had the opportunity to visit Schreiber Foods in Smithfield, Utah this past week and take a tour of the plant. Following the tour, a group of about 25-30 dairymen met with the plant manager to discuss their company and the potential to sell milk to them. I have driven by this plant many times, but I have not had the chance to go inside since I was just a young boy, and the plant was owned by Cache Valley Dairy. The plant has been expanded and remodeled several time since then. Schreiber has been leasing the plant for about three years now and is currently in the process of buying it.

I have had the chance to tour several cheese plants, but I was particularly impressed with this one. I noticed right away that the people who work there are referred to as partners, not employees. This is because Schreiber is employee owned, so they are all literally partners in the business. Everyone in the plant was very friendly and helpful, even though we were in their way. I was told there are about 450 people that work in the plant. They make several different kinds of cheese, mostly Swiss and American (cheddar, mozzarella). However, the largest part of the plant is the cutting and wrapping department. Much of the cheese they package is purchased in 40 lb blocks or barrels from other cheese plants in the region. They package cheese for many major retail stores, including Sam's Club, Costco, and Western Family to name just a few. They also provide cheese to such places as McDonalds, Taco Bell, and The Olive Garden. Cheese packaged in this plant is shipped all over the western US.

I was very impressed with the efficiency and professionalism that I saw on my tour. Schreiber is very important to our county, not only do they have the cheese plant in Smithfield, but they also have a plant in Logan. Schreiber provides many good jobs as well as very tasty, high quality cheese for all of us to enjoy. I was struck by the thought that as important as Schreiber is to our community, they could not exist without the dairies that produce the milk they need to make cheese. Businesses like Schreiber are the reason a recent Utah State study found that 15% of the economy of Utah is based on agriculture, while less than 2% of the public live on farms.

After my visit I made the decision to begin selling the milk from my dairy to Schreiber Foods.