Independent cheesemaker chooses Certa to reduce energy costs, optimise operations and ensure product integrity

• Artisan cheese producer switches from centrifugal pump to MasoSine Certa 400 and wins international award
• Assurance of no damage to the product due to gentle pumping action
• Pump investment has led to better quality of cheese, improved yield and expansion of lines

When Greenfields Dairy Products Ltd needed to replace an ageing pump from another supplier, the family-run cheesemaker contacted Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS) to discover its options.

Greenfields, which specialises in the craft of award-winning traditional cheese, decided to introduce a MasoSine Certa 400 pump from WMFTS into its operation which processes up to 10,000 litres of milk per batch of cheese.

The MasoSine Certa pump has improved reliability and yield in Greenfields’ cheese production, while also reducing energy at a time of rising costs.

After adding the energy efficient MasoSine Certa pump for the transfer of curds and whey across its facility in Lancashire, England, Greenfields won gold for several of its cheeses at the International Cheese Awards (summer 2022).

Steven Procter, Managing Director at Greenfields, said, “We had been using the same pump since 1985. We need a pump to transfer the curds and whey across the facility because we are on one level, whereas a lot of cheese making facilities are on different levels and can rely on gravity to transfer curds and whey.

“It was a massive task to find a new pump and we looked at all the different types. It’s a big investment for a company of our size and it only gets used for between one and four hours per week.

“It was all about the technology. It’s a lot safer for us to use the MasoSine Certa because if you damage the product it can lose yield and that could affect the quality and certainly our profitability. By using the MasoSine Certa it has made our operation better. If we were to damage the curds and whey, we would lose some of the solids, so we have to be gentle with the pumping.

“The MasoSine Certa works on a variable speed supply, but we couldn’t alter the speed of the previous pump. Now we can speed up or slow down the transfer of curds and whey with no damage. The Clean in Place (CIP) is brilliant too — it’s really easy to use and is suitable for our business.

“We are only a small family business, and I would recommend the MasoSine Certa to other independent artisan cheesemakers because it’s working for us. It should last for a lifetime and gives us an assurance of quality of product and reliability.

“We make about 25 different varieties of cheeses. We were winning awards for our cheese before we introduced the MasoSine Certa pump, and we have continued to win awards after installing the MasoSine Certa pump for our cheeses.”
Greenfields’ continued success illustrates how MasoSine Certa pumps from WMFTS can be successfully utilised by independent, artisan or farmhouse dairies, as well as the big producers.

MasoSine Certa 400 pump at cheese maker Greenfields

The MasoSine Certa 400 offers greater energy efficiency over other pump technologies, which gave Greenfields’ added value and improved ROI. MasoSine pumps typically require up to 50% less power than conventional pumps used in viscous fluid handling duties.

Dave Cole, Food and Beverage Sector Specialist, North, at WMFTS UK, said, “When I first met Steven at Greenfields he was looking to renew his equipment and it was evident he had already done his research and knew the technical benefits of our MasoSine Certa pump. His concerns were now around any product quality impact the new pump would have on his proven artisan process, compared to his long-trusted existing equipment.

“Through Steven’s own pump trials, our technical expertise to guide his final specification selection and our mutual understanding of his business needs, he gained the confidence to press ahead with his purchase of the MasoSine Certa 400.”

In 2015 Greenfields won the Supreme Champion at the International Cheese Awards and seven years later won another award at the same event for its Crumbly Lancashire Cheese. Greenfields produces a wide range of territorial and speciality cheeses all of which are produced from locally sourced milk, with over 20 different varieties.

WMFTS supplies pumping solutions to cheesemakers of all sizes. From producing 2,000 litre vat production rates through to 100,000 tonnes of cheese per year from 830 million litres of milk, WMFTS has a solution to meet the needs of food and beverage manufacturers.

Learn more about MasoSine process pumps