West Australian dairy, Brownes Dairy, is bringing WA-made traditional cheddar cheese back to local supermarket shelves for the first time in 14 years.
Brownes will become the only WA-based company producing cheddar cheese from fresh West Australian milk, in a move the company is expecting to grow the dairy industry and create jobs along the supply chain.
“Brownes Dairy has a rich history of making cheese, which dates back to the 1930s,” Brownes Dairy chief executive officer Tony Girgis said.
“We want to bring cheddar cheese back to WA because we know there is demand for it and we are keen to invest in WA dairy.”
The WA-made cheddar from Brownes Dairy will use old-style cheddaring techniques, including long and slow maturation at low temperatures.
Last produced in WA for local consumers in 2006, Brownes Dairy has made significant investment at its creamery in Brunswick in WA’s south-west to make traditional cheddar from local milk.
“It’s exciting to be going back to our roots and giving the people of WA a local product that they’ve certainly missed,” Mr Girgis said.
“Consumers probably don’t think about their fresh cheese travelling across the Nullabor, but until now that’s what has been happening.
“We are supporting the local dairy industry by introducing a family staple back into WA supermarkets.”
WA currently imports 15,000 tonnes of cheddar cheese a year. Total cheese imports into the state amounts to about 50,000 tonnes of cheese annually.
The Brownes Dairy range includes a mature cheddar cheese, aged for 12 months, and a vintage heritage reserve cheddar, aged for between 24 and 36 months.
The return of WA-made traditional cheddar cheese comes after Brownes Dairy revived another old classic, bringing back the ‘milko’ delivery service, initially to households self-isolating due to COVID-19.
The company said the service had proved so popular, it was set to continue.
The Brownes Dairy cheddar cheese range is available online through the milko delivery service and will be on supermarket shelves from August 24.