Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery

Last Updated On: May 7th, 2026 at 07:36PM MST

Contact information

Dirección de la granja:
4410 N. Lincoln Ave.
Champaign, Illinois, 61822

Primary Contact: Leslie Cooperband
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 2178408645
    Email: prairiefruits@gmail.com

Website: https://www.prairiefruits.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: Founded in 2005, we are a farmstead goat dairy and creamery. We make cheese, gelato and other dairy products from our certified AWA herd of dairy goats.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Fecha de inicio de las prácticas: May 24,2021
Fin de las prácticas: 23-May-22
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: 15-May-21
Minimum Length of Stay: one year

Internship Details:

Cheese Making and Plant Sanitation Assistant
SUMMARY
The cheese making assistant is a support role in the creamery. He/she will participate in most aspects of cheese making, with an emphasis on cleaning . He/she will become proficient at transferring milk from the bulk tanks to pasteurizer-vats, performing all associated cleaning, pasteurizing and making fresh chevre, assisting with other styles of cheese makes, packaging cheese, organizing cheeses for wholesale and retail sales and shipping cheese. He/she will be responsible for routine daily, weekly and monthly creamery cleaning and facility maintenance.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Detail oriented
• Conscientious
• Excellent personal hygiene
• Enjoyment of cleaning and other repetitive tasks
• Pride in a job well done
• Ability to perform more than one task simultaneously (multi-tasking)
• Ability to work efficiently and perform tasks (once mastered) in timely manner
• Ability to work alone and in a small team setting
• Honesty
• Willingness to learn, especially the technical aspects of cheese making
• Ability to be on your feet for 8-10 hours/day
• Ability to lift 50 pounds
DUTIES
• Washing molds, racks, mats and other utensils and vessels used in cheese making
• Milk transfer from bulk tanks to cheese vats
• Running CIP (clean in place system for pipe cleaning)
• Pasteurization
• Cheese ladling, flipping
• Cheese packing (e.g. fresh chevre, cottage cheese)
• Bloomy rind cheese flipping, wrapping
• Performing daily, weekly and monthly facility cleaning
• Learning and maintaining basic food safety protocols (cleaning and managing product inventory to ensure freshness and purity)
• Packing cheeses for wholesale and retail sales
• Assisting with cheese shipping (both wholesale and retail orders)
• Attending and participating in staff meetings (dairy and creamery staff)
Interested individuals please submit a letter of interest and a current resume via email.
Opportunities for advancement and long term employment available for the right person.

Educational Opportunities: We will teach the hired person the basic concepts of cheese making and dairy plant sanitation.

Skills Desired: Prior experience in food service or dairy farms a plus. Ability to work on your feet for at least 8 hours in a day; ability to learn and master complex tasks, basic algebra, ability to lift 50 lbs. excellent personal hygiene.

Meals: No.

Stipend: Yes, we pay $15/hour for a 40 hour work week. Opportunities for benefits like health insurance also available.

Housing: No.

Preferred method of Contact: email