How Labneh is made in our dairy

Labneh is prepared by draining yogurt. But it is not that simple. In your own kitchen, of course, you have very little control over temperature and bacteria. Homemade labneh has a limited shelf life and can only be trusted if you consume it quickly. Our Zuivelarij Labneh has a shelf life of at least eight weeks from the day of production. How is our Labneh made? Through some photos, we’ll show you our production process.

Everything starts on Leen & Gert’s farm

In our Zuivelarij we process different types of milk from local farmers. For each product we make, we get the milk from one specific farmer. It’s our way of shortening the chain. We get the sheep’s milk for our Labneh from Gert & Leen in Moorsel. Thanks to its high fat content and its richness in protein, sheep’s milk lends itself perfectly to the production of labneh.

Yogurt

First, we make yogurt. When you make yogurt, you want it to be firm, creamy and homogeneous, and no moisture leaks out afterwards. We want exactly that, which is why we use a specific bacterial culture. The milk ferments for a few hours, after which it is no longer milk, but yogurt.

Drain

We put the chilled base yogurt in 30-liter bags. The straining process takes for 60 hours. This is a fairly artisanal process but still seen as the best way to make high quality labneh. While there are expensive machines that shorten the process, we will have to make (and sell, of course) a lot of Labneh for that!

Stacking

To ensure that the labneh is always the same thickness, it is stacked for another 12 to 24 hours, depending on the season. In the end, about 60% of the original sheep’s milk will remain. All the goodness of the yogurt is now concentrated.

Stirring

In this penultimate step, we stir until there are barely any drier pieces left in it so that the labneh becomes nice and smooth and soft. Not because these small firm pieces in the labneh would be bad, on the contrary, they are just the most delicious. We also don’t stir too long because then the structure of the labneh would become thinner again. A delicate task, then.

Packaging

At the end of the production process, the labneh is put into 220-gram jars, 3-kg buckets or 10-kg bags. It can now be kept for at least 6 weeks. At least! Because if the labneh tastes good and is stored properly, you can eat it even after the expiration date. You buy our Labneh in some Delhaize stores, many Spar stores and in the better food stores.