In 2003, CERS initiated a project that aims to develop a yak cheese cottage industry for Tibetans in order to leverage the huge number of yaks with high-value yak products for the market. The first yak cheese training facility was constructed behind the CERS Zhongdian Center. With the help of Prof. Ranee May from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, a local Tibetan family experimented with production of the first yak cheese.

Today, the family is running their own factory in Langdu, close to where the training facility is. The site sometimes accommodates visiting students as well. Students can experience first-hand the Tibetan nomadic lifestyle while learning how to work on a yak.