GLEN HUON DAIRY CO.

Deep Water Farm, Glen Huon.

Since we started Bruny Island Cheese Co. in 2003, we have gained a reputation for pushing boundaries and making some of the best and most interesting cheeses in the country. But my dream was always to have our own dairy farm, to produce our own milk to make our cheeses even better.

That dream finally came true in 2016 when we found, and purchased, a run-down farm on the banks of the Huon River in beautiful Glen Huon. Our dairy farm is everything that we dreamed it would be – a showcase of sustainable, small-scale, organic dairy farming that is all about animal welfare and milk quality. The farm has become an integral part of the business in just a few years. Not only has it again lifted the quality of our cheese, but it has also added great depth to our story.

Our herd is made up of four rare breeds, all of which are no longer considered commercially viable: Brown Swiss, Australian Dairy Shorthorn, Normande, and Jersey-Normand cross - all excellent dual-purpose breeds for both cheesemaking and beef production. In addition we use Speckled Park bulls to maximise our beef quality.

Our farm is unlike almost every other dairy farm in Australia. Not being part of the industrial dairy system means that we are able to make choices about how we farm which commercial dairy farms do not have the privilege to make.

That makes our farm something we are incredibly proud of.

BROWN SWISS

These gorgeous cattle are thought to be the oldest dairy breed in the world with Benedictine monks in NE Switzerland recorded as breeding them over 1000 years ago. These cows are slow maturing, strong framed and lead long and productive lives. They also have the best butterfat to protein ratio in their milk for cheesemaking which makes them an excellent choice for us!

Like most traditional breeds they will either have a valuable milking heifer or a bull calf that is excellent for beef.

Most of our Brown Swiss girls originally came from Island Rock herd in Pomborneit in Victoria. Her breeders Daryl Riches and Satu Saarikallio farm their herd in the volcanic slopes around Lake Corangamite. They breed strong, hardy, calm cattle with excellent feet and legs!

NORMANDE

This breed originated in Normandy, France. They are indelibly linked to the cheeses of that region, especially Camembert. However, they are the classic dual purpose breed with Normande beef being so prized for its flavour it is found under its own label in French supermarkets.

All of our Normande girls (and one guy, Nico) came from Allandale East in South Australia. Brian and Lorraine Robertson had seen the news of our dairy farm and contacted us to see if we were interested in some of their cattle. Needless to say we were so excited to find our they bred Normandes. They have been breeding them since 2004 using imported French bulls and AI genetics and they really want to see this breed showcased with a specialist cheesemaking facility. We are so very fortunate to have some of these much loved cattle on our farm!

AUSTRALIAN DAIRY SHORTHORN

This breed was once the main milking breed in Australia, now they are so rare that they're listed on the Rare Breeds Trust!

These girls are from the Mannes Dairy Shorthorn herd from Bendigo in Victoria. This farm has been owned for 5 generation and this herd has been milking since the 1920's. The Mannes brothers were the second dairy farm in Australia to gain organic status in 1993. Their milk is excellent for cheesemaking and they also produce a calf valuable for either milking or beef.

Jersey-Normande Cross

Among our herd, you might notice a few smaller cows with a quiet presence and a lot of personality. These are our Jersey-Normande crosses. They’re much smaller than our other cows, but what they lack in size, they more than make up for in the richness of their milk.

Their milk is naturally higher in fat and protein, which makes it perfect for cheese. That extra creaminess brings a depth of flavour and texture we absolutely love working with. It helps us craft cheeses that are full of character and true to our style.

We chose this cross for a reason. The Jersey brings richness, while the Normande adds balance and hardiness. Together, they make ideal dairy cows for a small, quality-focused farm like ours.

Our Calves

We have a duty of care (current & ongoing) that we take very seriously for each of our animals, including the calves. We raise the majority of the calves at Glen Huon. We deliberately chose excellent dual purpose breeds of cows so that we we are able to produce both future milking cows and beef at the farm.