Cheese has been a very successful means of diversification for many, and those contemplating a move into Irish farmhouse cheese production should avail of the many supports available and connect with those already in the sector.
That’s according to Prof. Diarmuid Sheehan, principal researcher at Teagasc, Moorepark, and lecturer on Teagasc’s cheese making course which has been running for 25 years.
The next farmhouse cheese making course in the Teagasc food research centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, will take place from November 7-9.
The course is certified through Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and is aimed at those interested in setting up a farmhouse cheese venture or those already working in the small-scale cheese making industry.
Cheese makers
Prof. Sheehan said that the 1970s onwards had seen a revival in artisanal culture.
“Very often, international people with no cheese experience began making their mark in the cheese making industry. They included Veronica Steele who established Milleens in 1976 and Jeffa Gill who set up Durrus in 1979 but also local farming families such as Jane and Louis Grubb who started Cashel Blue in 1980,” he said.
Others, Prof. Sheehan said, travelled and learned.
“They included Patrick Berridge of Carrigbyrne. Later others brought cheese makers to Ireland. Through the 1980s-1990s, a farmhouse culture evolved, always through the perseverance of the cheese makers,” he said.
In the 2000s there was continuous evolution he said, with some new entrants and some exiting.
“Cheese is a complex product,” the pofessor contended. “That’s what sets it apart from many other foods.
“It is made from a raw material – milk – that is constantly changing throughout the year, and it is a dynamic or live product in that it continually changes – ripens -from the point of manufacture though maturation and storage, distribution, and even in the fridge right to the point of consumption,” he said.
“The science behind cheese is hugely complex and we are still discovering so much, even in a food type that is 8,000 to 10,000 years old.
“The combination of bacteria and their associated metabolic activity with the influence of the protein based matrix in which they are located leads to a complex ripening with 300- 500 flavour compounds being produced leading to a hugely flavoursome, nutritious, functional and convenient food.
“This also leads to huge diversity in cheese types which enables each cheese maker to make their own distinctive cheese and to provide a wealth of experiences to the consumer.”
Farmhouse cheese
Liam McCabe, dairy sector manager, Bord Bia, said that 68 farmhouse cheese makers were registered to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2019, with a further four in Northern Ireland.
He said that accurate Central Statistics Office (CS0) figures were not available on the amount of cheese produced in this country. The vast majority of farmhouse cheese produced stays on the island of Ireland, he said.
“A limited number such as Cashel Blue, are exporting,” he added.
Bord Bia and three of its client companies will exhibit at Mondial Du Fromage and Salon Du Fromage, Liam said, adding that the sector got a good bounce during Covid-19 as consumers sought to shop locally.
Norma Dinneen of Bo Rua Farm in East Cork, has been producing farmhouse cheddar since 2019 and is focused on supplying the multiples.
“Farmhouse cheese making is not for everyone but for those who are suited to it, it is very rewarding,” she said.