H&B cheesemaker to focus on goats’ milk after Evesham move
Wholesaler Harvey & Brockless plans to move its in-house cheese making operation to a new dairy in Evesham to meet growing demand for its raw milk goats’ cheeses.
Cheese Cellar Dairy, which is run by cheesemaker George Bramham, was previously based at Harvey & Brockless’s Worcester depot but production will be moved to a purpose-built dairy at its new Evesham site later this month.
The company plans to more than double volumes of its award-winning soft goats’ cheeses from around 300 a week to 700, plus develop new products using cows’ and sheep’s milk. At the same time, the company will stop production of its hard cheeses Worcester White, Double Worcester (cows’ milk) and Snodsbury (goats’).
The move completes a change in direction for Cheese Cellar Dairy, which originally specialised in hard cheeses, but branched out into goats’ curd and launched three soft, unpasteurised goats’ cheeses last year after Bramham trained with a cheesemaker in the Loire Valley.
Ashlynn (ash-covered cylinder, with a line of charcoal through the centre), Clara (ashed log) and Blanche (unashed log) have already picked up several major awards, including Best New Cheese and Best Soft White for Ashlynn at the British Cheese Awards and three stars for Blanche in the Great Taste awards.
“Our hard cheeses were quite regional in nature and the market for territorials is crowded. But we’ve seen strong demand for small, fresh cheeses.”
“The new dairy will enable us to grow and develop new products that will appeal to chefs and retailers, but we want to remain small scale – ideally raw milk from single herds and small batches,” said Owen Davies, category manager for artisan cheese.
“Our hard cheeses were quite regional in nature and the market for territorials is crowded. But we’ve seen strong demand for small, fresh cheeses, especially among chefs because they are easy to portion and can be used in the kitchen and on cheese boards.”
He added that Harvey & Brockless remained fully committed to supporting artisan cheesemakers across the UK and Europe.
“We have long been advocates of the British cheese renaissance and will continue to champion the superb products being produced by new and established artisan producers. Our Cheese Cellar Dairy helps us in this regard, enabling us to better understand the challenges and opportunities faced by our suppliers.”
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