Fivemiletown Creamery buys new cheese business


Fivemiletown Creamery, Northern Ireland's oldest speciality cheese company, has acquired the Causeway Cheese Company as part of its business growth strategy.



The acquisition of Causeway Cheese Company, a producer of handmade waxed cheddar cheeses and also based in Northern Ireland, was completed by Fivemiletown Creamery earlier in the month.



Fivemiletown Creamery will now produce and market the four-strong range of Causeway cheeses from its award-winning dairy in County Tyrone, where it already produces an extensive portfolio of handmade soft cheeses and cheddars for customers, including major grocery retailers, in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, other parts of Europe, the US and Asia.



The acquisition was announced by Fivemiletown Creamery managing director Mervyn McCaughey, who said: "Causeway Cheese is an ideal fit for us. Its focus on handcrafted cheese is in line with our own commitment to offer customers premium cheeses that are handcrafted from high quality milk from local dairy farms.



"We are excited by the potential of the Causeway cheese range particularly outside Northern Ireland, and the contribution that the cheeses can make to our focus on driving faster growth in international markets.



"We bring knowledge of international marketing and sales expertise to the Causeway brand. We believe these products are gems of Northern Ireland and aim for wider distribution, not only internationally, but also in the local market. The people of Northern Ireland should be able consume the best of local artisan produce.



"In common with our existing range, Causeway cheeses are premium products with provenance and have a distinctive Northern Ireland identity. The inclusion of Causeway cheese in our portfolio will support our work to develop Northern Ireland's international standing as a producer of innovative and high quality cheeses that are deliciously different.



"Our sales teams will now be working to market the existing Causeway cheeses, offering existing and potential customers a comprehensive portfolio of superb and distinctive Northern Irish cheese."



The Causeway Cheese Company was established in 2001 by Damian and Susan McCloskey in the village of Loughgiel in County Antrim.



Damian McCloskey said: "We have worked with Fivemiletown Creamery in the past and they helped us to develop a smoked cheese. We are glad to see them take custodianship of Causeway and we look forward to seeing how they grow and develop the brand."



Causeway cheeses are hand made from individual recipes, ranging from a distinctive mature cheese to cheeses with a touch of Northern Ireland individuality such as with Dulse harvested from the shores of Northern Ireland. All of the cheeses are named after ancient townlands or place names in and around the village of Loughgiel.



Established in 1898 by a group of dairy farmers in County Tyrone, Fivemiletown Creamery now produces a range of handmade speciality brie, award-winning cheddars and a new luxurious ice cream range.



The company was the first in Ireland to produce a blue brie and the first in Europe to develop a smoked brie, which uses oak chipping sustainably harvested from the forest of Caledon in Tyrone.



Fivemiletown Creamery has gained a series of international awards for quality cheese and prestigious UK Great Taste Awards. Fivemiletown attribute this success to the quality and purity of the local milk, and the skill and passion of the artisan.