The desirability of making these varieties of cheese upon a small scale
and successfully marketing them depends upon the skill of the maker and
his ability to obtain a direct and ready market for his product. When
cheese is made and delivered once or twice a week, a dairyman is in
far better position to serve the public by selling a perfectly fresh
product than the larger manufacturers, working at a distance, who are
obliged to dispose of their cheese several days after it is made, and
who must pay the additional expense of boxing and shipping. If the
cheese is marketed directly upon a small scale it is not necessary
to put it into the flat boxes, as is the case if it is handled
commercially. The cheeses may be disposed of satisfactorily by placing
them in one large box and piling one cheese upon another. When cheese
of this type is delivered upon a milk route the use of a special box
provided with two compartments, one for ice and the other for cheese,
is advisable during the warm periods of the year. Pimiento-cream
cheese, because of its keeping quality, is particularly adaptable to
small-scale operations. When sold in glass jars it is sold as readily
as the product of the larger manufacturers. With a direct outlet,
arrangements may be made to use the jars again and thereby reduce the
cost of marketing.
When suitably situated it should be practicable for many dairymen to
supply cheese to a neighboring town at good prices for their milk and
extra trouble. It should be especially feasible for the milk dealer to
dispose of his surplus milk in the form of cheese; in fact, in some
cases for some of these kinds of soft cheese he would receive as much
as or more than for the milk. By beginning in a small way the milk
dealer should be able to develop a trade in fancy cheeses, such as
cottage, Neufchâtel, cream, and pimiento cream, and by selling direct
to the consumer he could compete successfully with larger manufacturers.