Dave Anderson, a 40 year veteran of Tillamook

Meet Dave Anderson, Whey Plant Shift Supervisor. Dave has worked for Tillamook for over 40 years, and all but six months of that has been in our whey plant. Can you imagine working at one place for 40 years? Dave is truly one of a kind when it comes to his work ethic. He’s a loyal employee and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Wondering what happens in the whey plant? The whey plant runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is responsible for processing the liquid from the cheese-making process (ever hear of curds and whey?) and drying it into powder. On average, about 700,000 pounds of liquid is turned into 77,000 pounds of sweet whey powder everyday!

The powder is considered a commodity, is sold to other manufacturers, and used in a variety of products. It’s primarily a replacement for white sugar in baking. Check out the ingredient labels on your favorite baked goods — more than likely you’ll see whey powder. It’s no surprise that Tillamook produces some of the world’s highest quality sweet whey powder — that’s why it’s always in high demand!

You can learn more about our cheese making process here.