Fresh cheeses get their unique fresh flavor from their very high water content relative to non-fatty matter. Züger, a family business from Oberbüren in the canton of St. Gallen, has been producing fresh cheeses since 1984. Thanks to FOOD LINE’s food-safe lubricants and operating fluids, everything in the company runs smoothly—from production to perfect packaging.
Züger Frischkäse AG, a family business in eastern Switzerland, has been instrumental in shaping the history of cheese, and particularly mozzarella, in Switzerland. In the 1960s, Edwin Züger did an internship in an Italian cheese factory and became fascinated by the freshness and taste of mozzarella. Inspired to produce mozzarella in Switzerland using Swiss milk, his family business made its first Züger mozzarella in 1984. Today it transforms 400 tonnes of milk into mozzarella every day, in a variety of forms that includes balls, sticks, cubes and much more. In 2022, the company even launched a vegan version.
Producing 36,000 tonnes of dairy products from around 160 million kilograms of regionally sourced milk each year, Züger is Switzerland’s fifth biggest dairy processing company. Around 40 percent of its output is exported. Each specialty fresh cheese places its own requirements on the highly automated manufacturing process. The company produces around ten product groups, such as mozzarella, brine cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, cottage cheese, Filona cream cheese, curd cheese, paneer and non-melting cheese for barbecues. It has also been operating its own butter-making facility since 2006.
Taking charge of its own fortunes is a Züger hallmark, and that extends to planning and manufacturing sophisticated machines and production systems, since these are rarely available to buy commercially. This means that many of the company’s machines are built in its own plant engineering division and existing systems have been constantly upgraded by the addition of useful modifications. One example is the coagulator, a fully automatic system that processes milk into cheese and is an essential part of the mozzarella production process. Since the milk has to be processed within a certain time, Züger operates 24 hours a day. Production stops once every two weeks for one day, for cleaning and maintenance work.
Thomas Jung is responsible for the maintenance of all Züger’s machinery. “There are easily 100 or so machines. If one of them breaks down, our team has to step in, whatever the time of day or night. All the machines are inspected once a week and get ad hoc maintenance. We carry out overhauls and major maintenance once a year. We use MOTOREX products, partly from the basic range and partly specialist FOOD LINE lubricants and operating fluids that are safe for foodprocessing environments. Depending on the risk of contamination, these lubricants are divided into different classes (H1, 3H or K1), which means that even accidental direct contact with foodstuffs poses no risk.” Strict hygiene and working standards ensure this doesn't happen at Züger.
Packing and thermoforming machines process production batches that are often several thousand units in size. Such systems rely on automatic lubrication systems, in which FOOD GREASE AL-GL 00, a white fluid grease, has proven outstandingly successful. This high-performance fluid grease is registered as H1, has a high load carrying capacity and is extremely water- and oxidation-resistant. Thomas Jung knows his machines like the back of his hand and has a lubrication plan for each of them. “High-grade lubricants and professional maintenance are the foundations of breakdown-free working and long machine service lives. I associate MOTOREX with consistent quality and Swiss reliability”, he tells us with conviction as he fills the oldest single unit packing machine with FOOD FLUID 68 hydraulic oil. The machine was built in 1968 and is still giving valuable service.
Thomas Jung has over 30 colleagues, including mechanics, electricians, fitters and welders, to help him operate the workshop and maintain the impressive milk processing facility, which even includes a refrigerated high-bay warehouse. “Rapid availability and long service lives are essential, particularly for the highly specialized food-safe lubricants that we use here”, Thomas Jung explains while checking that a centrifuge has enough gear oil. The oil has to be able to withstand extremely high air humidity, since the systems have to be frequently washed for hygiene reasons. FOOD FLUID 320 is a full synthetic high-performance gear oil (ISO VG 320) with outstanding high-pressure and load-carrying properties that is used primarily in the gear systems of equipment used in manufacturing industries with strict requirements.
The growing number of customers in Switzerland and abroad proves that Züger fresh cheese products have captured the spirit of the times. There is potential for innovation everywhere, as paneer, a non-melting cheese from India, or Filona cream cheese prove. Employees often contribute new ideas from their own culture or travels. That’s because everyone at Züger is a member of a big family and part of the company’s success.
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