Northern Irish artisan cheese business expands
City Cheese Company, Northern Irish artisan cheese maker, which
recently gained organic certification for its Gouda style raw milk
cheese, is expanding its processing operation.
The enterprise, formed by South African Christo Swanepoel in 2014,
is moving to new premises five times the size of its existing
creamery in Millisle, county Down, a Northern Irish resort town.
The new operation will be at Ballywalter, also on the county Down
coast, and will feature larger processing and maturing facilities.
In addition, the company plans viewing facilities to enable cheese
lovers to see the products being made.
Swanepoel, commenting on the expansion, says: "The viewing area is
intended as part of my focus on educating people here and tourists about speciality cheeses. Because Northern Ireland doesn't have a
great tradition in the development of handmade cheese especially
raw milk varieties I decided to provide opportunities for more
people to learn about speciality products.
"I've had considerable interest in the cheeses from local consumers and particularly from specialist retailers in the Republic of
Ireland and even from further afield. The new facilities give me
greater scope of respond to such interest and also to look at other types of cheese, he adds. "I am also considering the development of a smoked cheese."
The unit, scheduled to open next month, will also feature a retail
outlet for cheese and other artisan products. The shop will be
named Angelique's Pantry after his wife and one of the three cheeses
that are currently being produced.
Swanepoel, says: "The new unit enables us to expand cheese
production, making much bigger wheels in line with the growing
demand for our three cheese and especially our Gouda-style Young
Culmore, which is produced using unpasteurised milk from Northern
Ireland's leading organic dairy farm. It gained certification from
the influential Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association."
A gourmet chef from Pretoria, Swanepoel has been based in Northern
Ireland for over six years. Other cheeses he produces are Angelique,a Parmesan style cheese and Pitjes kaas, a rich, nutty and creamy
taste of South Africa that uses cumin seeds for a distinctive nutty flavour.
He's one of two artisan cheese-makers in Northern Ireland using raw milk, the other is Mike Thomson of Mike's Fancy Cheese in
Newtownards, also county Down, the creator of a raw milk blue
cheese, Young Buck, which Swanepoel sells along with his own
products at markets in Northern Ireland and will also be stocked in the new shop.
recently gained organic certification for its Gouda style raw milk
cheese, is expanding its processing operation.
The enterprise, formed by South African Christo Swanepoel in 2014,
is moving to new premises five times the size of its existing
creamery in Millisle, county Down, a Northern Irish resort town.
The new operation will be at Ballywalter, also on the county Down
coast, and will feature larger processing and maturing facilities.
In addition, the company plans viewing facilities to enable cheese
lovers to see the products being made.
Swanepoel, commenting on the expansion, says: "The viewing area is
intended as part of my focus on educating people here and tourists about speciality cheeses. Because Northern Ireland doesn't have a
great tradition in the development of handmade cheese especially
raw milk varieties I decided to provide opportunities for more
people to learn about speciality products.
"I've had considerable interest in the cheeses from local consumers and particularly from specialist retailers in the Republic of
Ireland and even from further afield. The new facilities give me
greater scope of respond to such interest and also to look at other types of cheese, he adds. "I am also considering the development of a smoked cheese."
The unit, scheduled to open next month, will also feature a retail
outlet for cheese and other artisan products. The shop will be
named Angelique's Pantry after his wife and one of the three cheeses
that are currently being produced.
Swanepoel, says: "The new unit enables us to expand cheese
production, making much bigger wheels in line with the growing
demand for our three cheese and especially our Gouda-style Young
Culmore, which is produced using unpasteurised milk from Northern
Ireland's leading organic dairy farm. It gained certification from
the influential Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association."
A gourmet chef from Pretoria, Swanepoel has been based in Northern
Ireland for over six years. Other cheeses he produces are Angelique,a Parmesan style cheese and Pitjes kaas, a rich, nutty and creamy
taste of South Africa that uses cumin seeds for a distinctive nutty flavour.
He's one of two artisan cheese-makers in Northern Ireland using raw milk, the other is Mike Thomson of Mike's Fancy Cheese in
Newtownards, also county Down, the creator of a raw milk blue
cheese, Young Buck, which Swanepoel sells along with his own
products at markets in Northern Ireland and will also be stocked in the new shop.