[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 29, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2076-E2077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMENDING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TILLAMOOK COUNTY CREAMERY 
                              ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KURT SCHRADER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 29, 2009

  Mr. SCHRADER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th 
anniversary of the

[[Page E2077]]

Tillamook County Creamery Association. The Tillamook Creamery 
Association and its world famous cheese factory is an institution in 
Tillamook County, Oregon, and now, for 100 years, has been one of the 
oldest farmer cooperatives in my state.
  The roots of the Tillamook County Creamery Association date back to 
those pioneers who ventured out West on the Oregon Trail. When they 
arrived in Oregon, many established farms after seeing that the fertile 
lands and cool ocean breeze of Tillamook County were appealing for 
dairy production. In 1894, an entrepreneur named T.S. Townsend took 30 
cows from local Tillamook farmers and created the first commercial 
cheese plant in Tillamook County. His cheese, and specifically his 
cheddar cheese recipe, gained fame across the west and Townsend 
eventually became known as the ``Cheese King of the Coast.''
  As more local dairy owners followed Townsend's lead and founded their 
own cheese plants, 10 came together in 1909 to form the Tillamook 
County Creamery Association (TCCA). The goal of the association was to 
promote their community by marketing all of the cheese from Tillamook 
as being from the county, instead of from individual farmers. That 
cooperative ensured that all profits from the sale of dairy products 
from Tillamook would go back to the farmers and everyone else who 
ensured its production.
  By the late 1940s several of the larger independent cheese production 
plants merged and by 1968, all of the small cheese plants had combined 
and together built a centralized cooperative plant in Tillamook known 
as the Tillamook Cheese Factory. As the factory and its delicious 
cheese became known across the country, the owners built a visitors 
center where tourists could watch the cheese making process, taste 
homemade fudge and ice cream and of course, sample the cheese. The 
factory eventually became the largest attractor of tourism in Tillamook 
County, with now close to 1 million people visiting annually.
  Even today, Tillamook cheese is still being internationally 
recognized. It won six awards in cheddar cheese at the 2008 National 
Milk Producers Federation cheese contest and five at the 2009 Oregon 
Dairy Industries. In 2009, for the third year in the row the factory 
was ranked by the Portland Business Journal as one of the Most Admired 
Companies in Oregon for forestry or agriculture products. It's owned, 
of course, by 110 local Tillamook dairy families.
  While 100 years have now passed since the establishment of the 
association, the guiding principles that the founders promoted remain 
the same. In the association, it's called ``The Tillamook Tradition.'' 
That ``tradition'' always ensures a commitment to quality, cooperation, 
integrity, stewardship, responsiveness, and a dedication to their local 
community dairy industries. The association also supports that 
tradition by annually donating to more than 200 organizations across 
the state of Oregon. I know, that those original pioneers would be 
proud to see that even after 100 years, two things have stayed 
constant: the notion of community first, and of course, the cheese.

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