Old Cheese?
Cheese is said by some people to be 4,000 years old. Some believe cheese originated with the nomadic tribes in Asia who needed to carry food over long distances. Another legend tells of how cheese originated accidentally when milk being carried in a pouch made from the stomach of a calf turned into a lump of cheese after being bumped around all day.

Many ancient writings refer to cheese, showing the spread of the knowledge of cheese-making techniques throughout the known world. Without modern technology, the main advantage of cheese in ancient times was its ability to be stored for long periods of time. It was regarded as a convenient and concentrated food source: high in energy and nutrition. Cheese was a staple food in Roman and Greek civilisations 3,000 years ago. It was made from the milk of goats and sheep, which the shepherd curdled, by stirring with branches cut from nearby trees. Over hundreds of years, cheese making has grown into a major industry. There is a massive variety of cheeses available, used in different ways by different cultures.

The History Of KRAFT Processed Cheese
The first processed cheese dates back to Chicago, in the early years of this century. A businessman named James L Kraft created a successful business purchasing cheese at the Chicago market and selling direct to shops.

As his business expanded, the extreme perishability of natural cheese became a real problem. JL Kraft dreamt of a pasteurised and emulsified processed cheese that could be stored for long periods of time without loss of quality. He began to experiment. Eventually he discovered a method, which halted the natural maturing of cheese during processing.

In 1917 he supplied the first batch of Kraft canned cheese to the US Armed forces. His invention of a cheese that could be stored indefinitely was soon acknowledged as one of the greatest advances in cheese-making history. The Kraft Company also developed a process for producing sliced processed cheese and a machine that wrapped individual slices of cheese.

Meanwhile, in Australia, a Melbourne entrepreneur named Fred Walker had also been experimenting with the processing of cheese. Walker had been canning unpasturised cheese since 1910. He was seeking to develop a processed cheese, without knowing of the success of Kraft in the USA. In 1925, Walker learned about the process of improving cheese had been developed and patented by JL Kraft. Walker travelled to the USA to meet Kraft. He obtained the Australian rights for Kraft processed cheese.

In 1926, the Kraft Walker Cheese Company was formed in Melbourne - the parent company for Kraft Foods Ltd as it is today.

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