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How Does Fairview Swiss Cheese Turn Milk Into Renewable, green Energy?
For generations, cheese makers have focused on producing high-quality cheese while managing the byproducts created during the production process. At Fairview Swiss Cheese, we have taken that responsibility one step further by investing in sustainable technologies that transform cheesemaking byproducts into renewable energy.
As a fourth-generation family-owned company and Pennsylvania’s largest Swiss cheese manufacturer, we are committed to finding innovative ways to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and protect natural resources for future generations.
Our green energy program allows us to convert byproducts from the cheesemaking process into usable energy through a natural biological process known as anaerobic digestion.
TL;DR: Fairview's Sustainability Program
- Renewable energy generated from cheesemaking byproducts
- Environmentally friendly anaerobic digestion process
- Production of biogas and methane for energy generation
- Reduced waste and improved sustainability
- Family-owned company committed to environmental stewardship
- Innovative approach to modern cheesemaking
- Supporting a cleaner future for Pennsylvania agriculture
What Is Green Energy?
Green energy refers to energy produced through environmentally responsible methods that reduce dependence on non-renewable resources and minimize pollution. At Fairview Swiss Cheese, our green energy efforts focus on capturing value from existing byproducts rather than relying on additional natural resources. Through biological processes that occur naturally, we are able to generate renewable energy from materials that would otherwise require disposal.
What Is Anaerobic Digestion?
Anaerobic digestion is a natural process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable materials in the absence of oxygen. This process occurs in controlled environments where organic materials are converted into biogas and other useful byproducts. Anaerobic digestion is widely used around the world as a sustainable solution for waste management and renewable energy production. At Fairview Swiss Cheese, anaerobic digestion plays a key role in our sustainability efforts by helping transform cheesemaking byproducts into usable energy.
What Is Biogas?
Biogas is a renewable fuel source produced through the natural breakdown of organic materials in an oxygen-free environment.
This process generates methane-rich gas that can be used to produce electricity and energy. Biogas production helps convert organic byproducts into useful resources while reducing waste and supporting sustainability goals.
we are the best at
MAKING ELECTRICITY FROM MILK
The answer begins with milk.
Milk is composed of approximately 88% water and 12% dairy solids. During the cheesemaking process, the dairy solids become cheese while other components remain as byproducts.
Historically, cheesemakers faced challenges in managing these byproducts. Large manufacturers often processed whey into powdered products used in food production and animal feed. Smaller facilities frequently returned whey to local farms for livestock feed or agricultural applications.
In 1980, Fairview Swiss Cheese invested in membrane technology that allowed additional proteins to be recovered from cheese whey. These proteins are pasteurized and sold for further processing. After protein recovery, the remaining milk sugars create a byproduct known as lactose permeate.
As production continued to grow, finding sustainable ways to manage lactose permeate became increasingly important. This challenge ultimately became the foundation for our renewable energy initiative.
Why Is Renewable Energy Important in Food Manufacturing?
Food manufacturing requires significant energy resources to support production, refrigeration, processing, and transportation. By incorporating renewable energy technologies into our operations, we can help reduce environmental impact while improving long-term sustainability. These efforts allow us to continue producing high-quality Swiss cheese while remaining committed to responsible environmental stewardship. As consumer interest in sustainable food production continues to grow, renewable energy investments help demonstrate our commitment to innovation, efficiency, and responsible manufacturing practices.Why Did Fairview Swiss Cheese Invest in
Green Energy?
Like many innovations, the idea started with a conversation.
Working alongside industry professionals and agricultural sustainability experts, Fairview Swiss Cheese explored the possibility of using anaerobic digestion technology to process whey byproducts while simultaneously generating energy for use within the cheese plant.
The concept offered a unique opportunity. Unlike many agricultural digesters that produce more energy than the operation can use, our cheese manufacturing facility has substantial ongoing energy needs. This creates an ideal environment where renewable energy generated from the digestion process can be put to work directly within our production operations.
The result is a more efficient, environmentally responsible system that reduces waste while supporting our manufacturing processes.
In our situation, we take our leftover Lactose Permeate and process it using anaerobic digestion. The digestion process forms methane gas. The gas is captured, scrubbed for the removal of corrosive sulfur compounds using natural wood chips, dried, and sent to the engine. The combustion of the gas powers the electrical generator. Through this combustion heat is produced as in any engine. Then through a series of heat exchangers, pumps and water tanks nearly all the BTU’s (British Thermal Units) are captured and stored in the water tanks. Next, by using pumps, the hot water is piped into the cheese plant with the use of heat transfer equipment. The milk, cleaning water, and cheese aging room are heated without using our fuel oil boiler.
Finally, the effluent wastewater, which has been processed anaerobically, is transferred to our final treatment facility which is a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR). Here, we introduce air and utilize aerobic bacteria to consume any remaining organics before it is discharged to the local waterways.
If you asked someone to name three things made from milk you would most likely get typical answers such as cheese, ice cream and yogurt. But we at Fairview Swiss Cheese, through our practices of sustainability, have added ELECTRCITY AND BTU’s (replacing FUEL OIL usage) to the list of products we produce from our incoming milk.
It has been a challenging undertaking, but we at Fairview Swiss Cheese will continue to find new ways to increase our production of Green Energy for the betterment of our environment for future generations.
How Do We Turn Cheesemaking Byproducts Into Energy?
Cheesemaking creates more than the finished cheese you see in our store. It also produces whey and other byproducts. At Fairview Swiss Cheese, we’ve developed a process that allows us to put part of that material to another use: producing energy for our cheese plant.
After proteins are separated from the leftover whey, a material called lactose permeate remains. We process that material through anaerobic digestion, where microorganisms break down biodegradable material without oxygen. This process produces methane gas.
We capture and clean that gas before sending it to an engine that powers an electrical generator. Heat created during the process is also captured and used to heat milk, cleaning water, and our cheese aging room.
For us, sustainability isn’t separate from cheesemaking. It’s become part of how we operate. By finding a productive use for a cheesemaking byproduct, we’re able to generate electricity and usable heat from the same milk that ultimately becomes our cheese.
A Tradition of Innovation Since 1951
Since 1951, Fairview Swiss Cheese has combined traditional cheesemaking methods with forward-thinking innovation. Our investment in renewable energy is simply another chapter in that story.
From advanced whey processing technologies to renewable energy production, we continue to seek opportunities that strengthen our operations while supporting environmental responsibility and sustainable agriculture.
Our goal is simple: continue producing exceptional Swiss cheese while making thoughtful decisions that benefit our customers, our community, and future generations. Contact us today to get started.
Sustainability & Green Energy FAQs
Biogas is a renewable fuel produced when organic materials break down through anaerobic digestion. It contains methane and can be used to generate electricity and energy.
Anaerobic digestion is a natural biological process that breaks down biodegradable materials in the absence of oxygen. The process produces biogas that can be used as a renewable energy source.
Fairview Swiss Cheese uses byproducts generated during the cheesemaking process as feedstock for an anaerobic digestion system. This process produces biogas that can be used to generate energy for plant operations.
Sustainability helps reduce waste, improve resource efficiency, and minimize environmental impact. It allows manufacturers to produce quality products while making responsible use of natural resources.
Our sustainability efforts focus on transforming cheesemaking byproducts into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion. This allows us to reduce waste while creating usable energy that supports our manufacturing operations and commitment to environmental stewardship.
Our Swiss cheese is likely one of the most sustainably produced cheeses in the country. By utilizing our whey byproduct, we are able to produce roughly 50% of the electricity and 50% of the heating energy needed for the entire plant.
We focus on quality, fair pricing, and local ingredients. One of our longtime sayings is “supporting local dairy farm families every day,” and that commitment continues to guide everything we do.
