The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
and Karen Duquette's sister Ilse Blahak
toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory
Tillamook, Oregon,
July 30, 2013

The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is a dairy cooperative headquartered in Tillamook County, Oregon. The association manufactures and sells dairy products under the "Tillamook" brand name. Its main facility is the Tillamook Cheese Factory located two miles north of the city of Tillamook on U.S. Route 101.

The 44th largest dairy processor in North America, Tillamook posted $382 million in sales in 2007, the trade magazine Dairy Foods reports. The brand is strongest in the West but sells in all 50 states. It routinely wins awards from the American Cheese Society and other groups.

The cooperative includes 110 dairy farms, mostly within Tillamook County. Products produced by the cooperative include cheese, butter, ice cream, sour cream, and yogurt. Their most famous product is Tillamook cheese, including the famous Tillamook Cheddar. In March 2010, Tillamook's Medium Cheddar cheese won the gold medal in the 2010 World Cheese Championship Cheese Contest hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association in Madison, Wisconsin. The cheese scored 99.6 out of 100 points possible, beating 59 other entries.

There was free admission and free parking at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. The two RV Gypsies say that it is definitely worth a visit here if you are in town or just passing by. Tillamook Cheese Factory offers free samples, a free self guided tour, and a whole bunch of different cheese flavors to purchase, plus really good ice cream. The cheese was outstanding as well. Take the tour - it's fun.

And do not forget to "drive" The Tillamook Cheese Van

The self guided tour was nice, and it was great to be able to watch the workers from the second level of the factory. Because these photos were taken though a glass window and there was so much artificial light, the color of the photos was terrible, so Karen Duquette converted the photos to black and white.

Below: The outside of the Tillamook Cheese Factory

The two RV Gypsies thought that it was a fun experience watching the cheese production and a lot of stainless steel vats and conveyor belts. The two RV Gypsies recommend this for anyone who spends time on the Oregon coast. The most fun part was the machine that lets visitors make a free video that automatically got e-mailed to three different e-mail addresses of the visitors choice.

Of course there was a gift shop, plus a cheese sampling station, a fudge kiosk and a cafeteria-style restaurant, and of course the massive ice-cream stand in the middle of it all.

All in all, it was fun, informative, and interesting, plus it was free to get in. The two RV Gypsies recommend going at least once, especially if you have kids or love cheese and/or ice cream.

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