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Dairy

Cooleeney Cheese

Thurles | Tipperary

Farmhouse Cheese Producer

The dairy herd used to produce Cooleeney cheeses enjoys the lush green grasses of Tipperary’s Golden Vale. This is the fourth generation of the Maher family work the land at Cooleeney and in 1986 Jim and Breda Maher established Cooleeney Cheese on the family farm with the ambition to produce a range of artisan cheeses using the milk from their own Friesians.

They launched their first cheese on the Irish market that same year and national and international awards over the next two years created a great awareness and interest in Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese. The business grew through the retail and catering sector and in 1989 a new purpose built unit was opened.

In the early nineties their son Pat joined the company as marketing co-ordinator and started an export market in the UK and in 1997, daughter Catherine joined the company as quality co-ordinator. In 1999 Cooleeney Cheese bought the Dunbarra Cheese Company in Dublin and the production of these cheeses were transferred to the production unit in Tipperary and the company has continued to add to its products over the years.

In 2002 Cooleeney Cheese started to produce goat milk cheeses, the milk for these cheeses is sourced from top quality goat producers in Ireland. Today Cooleeney Cheese produce four varieties of goat cheeses, Brie type cheeses, goat logs and semi hard cheeses. In 2006 Cooleeney Cheese started to research a cow’s milk hard cheese and this cheese, Darú, was launched on the Irish market in 2007.

Every batch of cheese produced in Cooleeney gets the most careful attention at each stage of its production and maturation in the cheese plant. Cooleeney Cheese is a Camembert style cheese and is made using cow’s milk, which is produced both as pasteurised and raw varieties. The Dunbarra range is available in three varieties – natural, pepper and garlic. It has a semi-soft texture and a soft mild taste and this range is made using pasteurised cow’s milk. Gortnamona Cheese is made using top quality pasteurised goat’s milk, it has a creamy texture and is ideal for people looking for a non-dairy alternative. Chulchoill is a soft farmhouse goat log made from pasteurised fresh goat’s milk, it is a most versatile and convenient product and is particularly welcomed by the catering sector. Gleann Oír is a hard goat cheese with natural rind. Darú is a beautifully balanced handcrafted cheese with a natural rind and long finish, it is a semi hard cheese made from pasteurised cow’s milk.

All the cheeses are handmade, and are true artisan cheeses with great tastes and flavours. The production unit carries the BRC quality mark grade A, and a team of four cheese lovers test the cheeses for taste and flavour. Cooleeney Cheese were awarded a coveted star at the 2008 Great Taste Awards, for their Dunbarra range.

Quality is the keynote on Cooleeney farm and their cows enjoy the best of green pastures and carefully selected feed which helps to ensure milk of the highest possible quality for the production of their speciality cheeses. As they say themselves; "happy contented cows supply great milk", and great milk can be turned or rather churned into great cheese and the Maher's certainly have perfected this for us all to enjoy.

Cooleeney Cheese is available at all good food shops nationwide including Good Food Ireland member Kate's Farm Shop

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