Dutch gouda cheese

Once the curd is ready, it is formed into the familiar Gouda shape: a wheel with rounded sides.

Pre-pressing under whey

The mixture of curd and whey is drained from the vat into a pre-press or draining tank. There the curd settles and is lightly pressed while it is still covered by whey. Because no air can get between the curd particles, the cheese develops a closed, even texture. On farms this is done in a pre-press trough; larger dairies use automatic draining tanks or vertical drainage columns.

Filling the moulds

The pre-pressed curd is cut into blocks of the right weight and placed in moulds. Traditional wooden moulds have largely been replaced by food-grade plastic moulds, often with a built-in mesh that gives the rind its texture. A casein label with a unique code is placed on each cheese for traceability.

Pressing

The filled moulds are pressed for about one to two hours, with the pressure increased step by step. Pressing removes the last free whey and closes the rind. Smaller producers use vertical presses; larger dairies use presses that handle many moulds at once.

Demoulding

After pressing, the cheese is turned out of the mould and is ready for the brine bath.

Common Gouda formats

• Classic wheel of about 12 kg
• Smaller wheels of about 4–5 kg
• Baby Gouda of about 0.5–1 kg
• Rectangular blocks for slicing

Equipment for this step

• Pre-press troughs and automatic draining tanks
• Cheese moulds in the standard Gouda sizes
• Cheese presses

Tell us your cheese format and daily volume, and we will advise on the right pressing set-up.