Those clues in reverse
The outbreak of the war in 1939 was a blessing in disguise for the firm that had started life just two years earlier as Strappings Ltd as it won several major contracts to supply tensional strapping wire to the Ministry of War.
And everyone’s favourite secret agent? In the 1985 Bond movie A View To a Kill, one of the strapping machines manufactured by the company, now Gordian Strapping, had a starring role alongside Roger Moore.
The cheese comes in thanks to Barber’s Cheesemakers, an almost two-century old firm that has been using Gordian Strapping’s machinery for almost 25 years.
Introducing Barbers Cheese
The Barber family have been making cheddar cheese for longer than anyone else worldwide. So, when it comes to combining the finest West Country milk with traditional manufacturing methods to produce award-winning cheese, they like to think that they’ve learnt a thing or two.
In 1833, Daniel Barber began making cheese on his Somerset farm. Nearly two centuries later and the company is still there, now the oldest surviving cheddar-makers in the world.
Barbers says, “We’re also the sole guardians of the country’s last remaining traditional cheese starter cultures — the ‘friendly’ bacteria that start the cheesemaking process and contribute to the final texture, aroma and taste. Only by using these cultures can we be sure that we’re making true West Country cheddar.
“Since 1833, we’ve embraced new technology and innovation. However, we still rely on the expertise and instincts of our cheesemakers to ensure our cheese is the best it can be. We ‘cheddar’ our curds by hand and mature our cheese until it reaches peak condition.
“We believe that it’s this attention to detail and authenticity that allows our cheese to develop the rich, full flavour of traditional cheddar. That and nearly 200 years of experience, of course.”
We keep customers like Barber’s because of a combination of the performance and reliability of our equipment.
The bespoke product we supplied for Barber’s came with it a series of challenges, not least one that would allow the cheese to be packaged in boxes and kept perfectly firm and still while it matured — for anything between three months and two years.
That’s the kind of challenge Gordian relishes and we knew we had the perfect solution for the company which will this year produce 22,000 tons of cheese.
Our designers researched the very best solutions that would allow the most minimal movement in the packaging so they could create the perfect mould for the cheese, on which Barbers has built its reputation for nearly 200 years.
The machine we opted for is the OMS M10 which fitted seamlessly into Barbers conveyor system.
It’s a fully automated machine that straps a wide variety of conveyed or baled products and has a fast and consistent strap feed that increases up-time.
If you have any questions regarding our strapping machines, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team here.
Additionally, do feel free to take a look at our fantastic customer testimonials.
This copy was kindly written by Food & Drink News for a recent copy of their magazine.
