100 Years of diary development
in kroměříž

Construction of the Dairy Kroměříž began in spring in 1901 and first 700 litres of milk were processed in October 1902. It was mostly used for education of Provincial milk and cheese school students and at that time it was one of the most modern dairies in former Austo-Hungary. Wide range of own products supplied not only the town of Kroměříž, but some products, such as butter, were delivered to Vienna, Prague, and Brno.

Karel Hamal, the director of provincial milk and cheese school in Kroměříž, described a production program and the dairy equipment in 1932 as follows: “A school dairy, that daily processes 3,000 – 4,000 litres of milk for its pasteurisation, supplies the town with cocoa milk, yoghurt, different kinds of cream, butter and the following kinds of cheese (Imperial, Liptav, Beer, Butter, Desert, Soft-dry cream cheese, Limbur, Trapist, Steppe, Tyldge, Moravian, Edam, Salami, Gouda, Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, Gorgonsola and soft cheese), is situated in the main building. The dairy is equipped with all the necessary modern machines, powered with steam or electrical engines. It has necessary amount of workrooms, cellars for cheese ageing and cold forming machines for milk and cream cooling, and a warehouse for butter, and ageing cellars.”

In 1945, the dairy survived the battle of Kroměříž without any harm. Three days after liberation, first 4,500 litres of milk were taken in for production of milk. Supply morale was disorganised and its renewal lasted for months. The year 1948 was climatically convenient, amount of cattle increased and the milk yield rose as well. Milk was brought in cans, partially with two own lorries and the rest with pickers’ horse-drawn wagons. Winter daily receipts were 12,000 litres and summer receipts were 18,000 litres of milk. Assortment of liquid consumer products was as follows: pasteurised milk half and low-fat milk in cans and bottles, cream to a limited extent, cocoa milk, white and fruit yoghurt. Because of educational reasons, wide assortment of cheese, nearly all kinds, was produced under tutelage of cheese master Jaroslav Medek. Till the year 1953, the dairy was a facility for practical education at the State milk and cheese school in Kroměříž. The head of this dairy was Ing. Jaroslav Havlíček.

In 1953, independent enterprise “Milk Plants, n.p. in Kroměříž” was established. This was incorporated to Gotwaldov dairies, with residence in Bystřice pod Hostýnem. Assortment of cheese remained in its range. Assortment of consumer milk and cream was enlarged, still with respect to education of milk school students.

In 1960, all dairy plants were reorganised according to individual districts and East-Moravian Dairies Kroměříž, plant Kroměříž was established. Daily receipt of milk was approximately 20,000 litres and the production assortment of nearly the same range. The amount of workers was approximately 20. After a short period, the dairies were joined to the national, later on state plant Lacrum Brno. A plant in Kroměříž was established, business premises in Kroměříž, Bystřice pod Hostýnem, Kyselovice and Zdounky belonged under this plant. The directors of this plant were gradually Mr Škvařil, Ptáček and Starý, who was the director till 1987. After that, the director of the plant became Ing. Lejsal, until the completion of privatisation in 1994.

The plant was gradually managed by Mr Ošťádal, Chlubný, Apolenář, Ing. Jachan and M.Medek, till the finish of privatisation. In the period of 1986 – 1991, the plant in Kroměříž processed in its daily receipt from 30 to 70 thousand litres of milk. Consequently till 1994, there was decrease in daily receipt to the level of 25,000 litres. The assortment of the original range was contracted, in the framework of plant working in the company Lacrum Brno into consumer milk and cream, small volume of yoghurt and tough cheese – Eidam “brick”, kneaded cheese. Part of milk used to be processed in a drying chamber in Brno. The number of employees was between 50 and 70.

Since 1st October 1994 the dairy has been delimited in the framework of privatisation of the state enterprise Lacrum Brno as an individual juridical subject under the MSMT of the Czech Republic. It was established with the name of School Dairy in Kroměříž with a multipurpose function, consisting in creating conditions for practical education of the Secondary Dairy school students, with parallel arrangement of milk production and business activity. Ing. Tykvart became the director of the school. Daily receipt of milk was ca 23,000 litres and the production assortment was taken over. New graphic changes of packaging were carried out and the production line was unified. Business activity with the same number of employees was taken over. Gradually, the exchange of production assortment with the aim to create a small production enterprise with specialised program in the sphere of cheese production was started, with respect to quality of the dairy school students’ education.

Because of economic-operation reasons, the School dairy finished its activity under the Ministry of education in 1997 and its privatisation was completed. After public tender the owner of the dairy became the company KROMILK Ltd. Kroměříž with majority stake of farmers – milk suppliers. This company obliged itself to continue with the same scope of activity in the dairy Kroměříž.