Why Even Artisanal Cheese Makers Could Benefit from a Crumbler

When you think of artisanal cheese making what comes to your mind? A wizened person in a massive barn, hand making wheels of cheese? For many, it is hard to think that artistic products can be made with the assistance of technology.

A little bit of machinery can go a long way to improve the profits and reach of artisanal cheese producers, however. Take, for instance, crumbles.

A crumbler is a machine that essentially breaks pieces of product apart, unlike the similar food crusher, which uses shaft impactors and manually reduces food at a ration of 10:1 or 25:1.

For cheese, a crusher can take a whole wheel or loaf and break it into small little pieces. The sizing is the result of wholes in the screen, and the screen can be made to fit your specifications.

While it might not seem like it, an artisanal cheese maker can improve their sales simply by producing pre-broken cheese. That is because many consumers look for easier options when shopping.

That is likely why more and more Americans are opting for crumbled, shredded and sliced cheeses, rather than conventional blocks or wedges.

Additionally, many restaurants prefer precrumbled cheese, especially blue cheese and parmesan, because using cheese that has been run through a crumbler greatly reduces the amount of prep time needed for any number of recipes, from devils on horseback to macaroni and cheese.

As minimum wages continue to rise across the country, restaurants will likely become even more reliant on any way to cut down on staffing costs without sacrificing quality. This niche represents a large opportunity for artisanal cheese companies to provide the best possible product, as well as convenience, to some of the largest purchasers of cheese.


Still, much of the crumbled cheese market is dominated by commercial brands and even processed cheeses. Many artisanal cheese makers are resistant to using industrial tools like crumblers because they believe it will affect the integrity of their cheese, a decision which is potentially costing them a good deal of money in the long run.

If you are an artisanal cheese maker looking to find an edge or a way to stand out, using crumblers to create a line of precrumbled cheese provides an excellent option.