Dart Mountain strengthens its focus on artisan cheeses

A leading artisan cheesemaker in Northern Ireland has rebranded and streamlined its product portfolio to focus on its existing and planned cheeses.

Dart Mountain is the new brand for Tamnagh Foods, a family business owned by Kevin and Julie Hickey and based at Park in county Derry. Dart Mountain was originally Tamnagh’s cheese brand when the Hickeys established the small craft enterprise in 2010. The entire business will be known as Dart Mountain.

The rebranding has seen the company halt production of granolas and concentrate on the cheeses and accompaniments such as biscuits, chutneys, relishes and drizzles.

In addition to the rebranding, Dart Mountain is strengthening its artisan cheese portfolio with the development of two new goat’s milk products – Meeny Hill Goat, a hard cheese aged for at least two months, and Meeny Hill Blue, Northern Ireland’s first blue goat’s cheese, a semi soft and firm cheese that’s been matured for at least one month.

The new cheeses, according to Kevin Hickey, have been made possible by a decision of a farm close to the Dart Mountain dairy in the rugged Sperrin Mountains to move into goat’s milk. The Meeny Hill identity is based on a local landmark.

The new goat’s cheeses join the company’s existing and successful Carraig Bán, Northern Ireland first goat’s cheese. Dart Mountain is now the region’s only producer goat’s cheese from local milk.

Mr Hickey explains: “The timing of the farm’s move into goat’s milk last year couldn’t have been better, because we had been looking around for an additional supplier of goat’s milk much closer to our dairy to reduce food miles.

“While we already had a goat’s milk cheese, Carraig Bán, in our existing range we were interested in an additional supply that would enable us to develop a blue veined variety in particular.

“We were keen to work with the farm in helping to develop the goat business. Having this ready supply of good quality goat’s milk just down the road gave us the impetus to create two new cheeses, and for the future growth of our business, we’ve extended and tripled the capacity of our cheese ageing room,” he adds.

All the cheeses are produced in small batches in a purpose-build dairy on the small rural estate owned by the Hickeys. This approach ensures consistent quality and outstanding taste.

Test marketed last year, the new cheeses attracted very favourable reactions from family, friends and business connections.

The impressive artisan enterprise has created a portfolio of original cheeses including Kilcreen, Northern Ireland’s first – and still only – Alpine-style cheese, which is crafted from an Emmental recipe.

Dart Mountain, in addition, pivoted its business successfully to increase retail sales in response to the closure of its foodservice contracts due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company, Kevin continues, also experienced significant growth in online sales during the coronavirus lockdowns. “Our online sales of the existing eight-strong range of cheeses, as well as biscuits, craft chutneys, relishes and drizzles really took off in the run in to Christmas and, I am delighted to say, have continued to grow strongly since then,” he adds.