Belleville-made cheezie company Hawkins Cheezies has partnered with Loyalist College’s Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis.
According to a recent press release, COVID-era supply chain issues prompted Hawkins to find a new packaging supplier. This led them to the research centre and Loyalist College team, who are now using the lab and equipment to profile the cheezies and make sure they stay tasting and looking the same once they go into their new packaging.
Moose FM spoke with microbiologist and researcher Jennifer Zechel, about how the lab is currently creating a baseline for the cheezie:
“We’ve been looking at physical appearance. What’s the colour of the cheezie? What’s the hardness of the cheezie? What does it look like when we open up a fresh bag?”
Zechel continued, “I’ve done a microbiological profile, we look at water activity and then we look at these changes over time.”
Testing cheezies for shelf life means having them around the research centre for long periods of time.
Zechel confirmed that their popularity does mean she sometimes has to lock the cheezies up.
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Hawkin’s are the original inventors of the Cheezie, popular across North America. Their first factory was built in Tweed in 1946. It was moved to Belleville ten years later, after a fire destroyed the original factory. It has been in Belleville ever since.
