A new company is looking to make artisan cheese east of Armidale and is using a crowdfunding campaign to generate support.
Founded in March this year by Tim Wellham and Jess Holstein, Wellstein Cheese Co. is setting up on the Dorrigo Plateau.
Before founding the company, Tim and Jess had both made cheese professionally in Germany and Tasmania, and the pair were looking for the perfect spot to make cheese when they fell in love with Dorrigo's lush pastures and incredible landscape.
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They moved to Dorrigo just over a year ago and have been living and working on a dairy farm.
"Dorrigo milk is just too good to not make cheese," Tim said.
"I have really enjoyed learning about and working in milk production.
"It has given me a great appreciation for the work of our farmers and the milking herd, without which we would not be able to make such amazing and diverse cheese," he said.
The pair has lived in and travelled around Europe to explore traditional cheese making practices and get a better understanding of what makes a good cheese.
For Jess, who grew up next to the French border in the south west of Germany, it has a special connection.
"Cheese brings people together and making it here is a way of sharing a piece of home and maintaining part of my heritage," she said.
Wellstein Cheese Co. is already started operating at the local markets around the Bellingen Shire area, selling grilled French Raclette Cheese on Dorrigo potatoes while getting ready for their own production of soft cheeses at the end of the year.
Tim and Jess said their company was aiming to be 100 per cent carbon neutral, creating exceptional artisan cheese products that highlight the flavours of the Dorrigo Plateau.
They have partnered with Carbon Neutral to offset any emissions related to the operation, and in order to purchase some necessary equipment a Crowdfunding campaign has just been launched.
The kickstarter aims to raise capital for equipment, such as a pasteuriser and cheese vat, while rewarding supporters with boxes of the soon to be made cheese.
- To find out more visit www.wellsteincheese.co
