Artisan Handcrafted Cheese
Producing a hand-crafted cheese is a surprisingly instinctive art for an experienced team of cheesemakers - yet, at Coolamon Cheese Co, all our cheeses are hand-crafted this way by our skilled team.
Our team of true artisans honors the slower, traditional hands-on methods and uses finely honed instincts derived from many years of experience in this art. They use both their own recipes and those bequeathed to them from the founder of Coolamon Cheese Co, Barry Lillywhite.
Hand-crafting skills are, by necessity, very sensual, as our team will tell you. They go even further, by claiming them to be almost “mystical.”
To de-mystify that a little, the process starts by getting our milk from the incredible team at Riverina Fresh we then then pasteurizing it in-house. Throughout this activity, careful monitoring and precision testing are much needed, but artisan instincts take over when the milk is ready to turn into the curds, which will form the final cheese.
The team's experience counts again when selecting just the right cultures, which are needed to form the curds, as this very much depends on the type of cheese to be produced. Proceeding on instincts born out of years of experience, they then begin with a deep appreciation of how the curd feels as they stir, handle, and cut it.
Artisanal instincts continue to drive the team in their precise appraisal of the subtle aromas and tastes that have been embodied in the cheese and which continue to develop - right up to the point-of-sale. Cheese needs time to develop peak flavors in safe conditions, and so the team must keep a personal and watchful eye on their new infant cheeses while they “sleep dreamily” all the way through their storage and maturation.
Coolamon Cheese Co only makes small batches of hand-crafted cheese at a time - batches will not always be uniform – so each is assured to have a distinctive and unique flavor, much the same as in winemaking.
The team’s artisan approach allows innovation too. For example, they preserve traditional cheddaring methods but marry them with more progressive ideas by using Australian native herbs and indigenous flavors. This has produced hand-crafted cheeses in the Native Flavors Range that are sure to satisfy those looking for newer food experiences.
We believe the team’s hand-crafted approach is not only their trademark but a hallmark for true artisanship. Their slow, patient approach - combined with a lot of skill, instinctive care, and nurturing – is a valuable investment in the crafting of captivating cheese with stunning aromas, sensuous textures, and, of course, remarkable flavors.