THE MOULD CHEESECAST – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Today we chat to our first international guests on the podcast; Gabrielle Kervella and Alan Cockman from Kervella cheese who are one of the three producers in New Zealand making Raw Milk cheese.

With both sharing impressive cheese making resumes in Australia, France, South Africa and now New Zealand, these veterans have a great story to tell with an incredible 80 years of combined experience.

We discuss Kervella's journey from a small goat farm in Western Australia, to learning how to make goat cheese in France on family holidays … trying to apply European techniques to Australian conditions, before finally returning to Gabriella’s home in New Zealand to what they thought would be their retirement. Not. So.

We get curd nerdy with Alan as he tells us about the evolution of starter cultures and the difference between how cheese is made today on a mass scale compared to what he is trying to achieve and how raw milk plays into this.
We also touch on the regulations in New Zealand in regard to Raw milk production, what their customers think and what it means to be a true artisan producer.

You can tell that Alan and Gabriella have a true and enduring passion for their craft and it is such a pleasure to share their story.

So let’s get into it.

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Follow Kervella at @KervellaCheese

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WELCOME TO RAW MILK CHEESE MONTH at the Podcast where we speak to the makers, growers, farmers, and families who are making the best RAW milk cheese in the Australia (and beyond!).

To kick things off, we talk with Burke Brandon from Prom Country Cheese in South Gippsland Victoria.

Last year, they released the Moyarra Reserve which was the first RAW milk cheese in Victoria for over 80 years.

It’s been a wild 12 months since for sure, so we thought this a great chance to check in and see how things are... a year after release.

It is in this month's cheese box, after-all.

Challenging year aside, Burke along with his wonderful wife Bron, took some time to reflect and fine tune not only their own processes, build on the connection with their customers (crucial to any business) and probably most importantly, build confidence in their production method.
For us, we’re grateful for it as the proof of this is in the cheese. it’s down right delicious.

Burke also offers some great insights into the barriers to Raw milk production in Australia and we get into the nitty gritty about ph, Acidity, cultures and the potential (well, hopeful) chance of making a raw milk blue cheese in the country. Or maybe that’s just us projecting our own wants.

Look, this one is great for those true curd nerds! So let's get into it.

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Follow @prom_ cheese
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On a small goat farm on the Bellarine Peninsula, Corinne Blackett makes a wonderful, if small range, of delicious goat's cheese.

A pharmacist by trade, Corinne fell in love with goats when she had purchased a six to keep the grass under control on the property.

What else do you do with these natural lawn mowers?
Well, make cheese of course and it was after realising the pleasure of the cheese making process in her kitchen, no doubt thanks to the incredible freshness of milk at hand, Drysdale Cheese was born.

Now with a herd of just 30 milking goats on a small, 5 acre property, Corinne makes a small range of award winning cheese that you, if you’re lucky enough, can find in local shops and restaurants in the greater Geelong and Bellarine region

I’ve been wanting to chat to Corinne since we started this humble podcast and I’m sure you’ll agree, it was well worth the wait.
As with all conversations, this just starts to scratch the surface of the Drysdale Cheese story and there is so much more we could discuss but for now, get settled so, let’s get into it.

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Be sure to follow her at @drysdale_cheeses

The Meredith Dairy story is great one.
Farmers from the very beginning, Julie and Sandy Cameron knew they needed to value add to their farm and innovate their way out of the pressures and downturn in wool pricing in the 90s.

So, the Dairy was born and the rest, they say, is history for today Meredith Dairy is arguably one of the most recognised Australian cheese brands in the country.

This conversation with son Angus, highlights the dedication many Australian farmers and cheese makers have for their craft. We chatted about how value and quality needs to happen at every level of farming. From the animals themselves, the farmers who nurture them, the land they graze and then of course, the cheese itself and the process that makes it happen.
It is this full vertical integration that makes Meredith Dairy both unique and successful.

We also talk about the future and ensuring the work being done now is sustained for generations to come. This is about sustainability on all fronts; not just environmentally but, socially and economically as well.
This is a great insight into what dedication to quality looks like both long term and at scale.

LINKS MENTIONED THROUGHOUT>>
https://www.abc.net.au/landline/goat-goals:-goat-cheese-dairy-committed-to/12078242

The Minoia family immigrated to Australia back in 1999 and brought with them a hard working ethos and craftsmanship that has made Vannella Cheese, a the third generation cheese making family, produce what we think, is some of the Australia’s (or dare we say the worlds) best Italian style stretch curd cheese.

Here I got the chance to chat with Giuseppe to talk about not just the cheese making process for this style of cheese, but the effects of the seasonal variation and how the quality of Australian milk is outstanding.

Family is at the core of Vannella Cheese and it was a so good to reminisce over food from the his motherland and the connections sharing a meal, can create.

If you are interested in trying some of their cheese in this month's Mould Collective cheese box you’ll find some scamorza which is a smoked mozzarella. Otherwise you will also find them at the Carriageworks markets every Saturday in Sydney and the of course, check out their website for stockists near you.

Let’s get into it …

This episode, recorded LIVE at our Sydney Festival in May 2021, is with Michael Caines from Pecora Dairy.

Tucked away in the Southern Highlands village of Robertson, in New South Wales, Michael and along with his wife Cressida, make incredible cheese and also hold the title of making the first commercially available, uncooked RAW milk cheese in Australia; the Yarrawa
This is no small feat.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more articulate conversationalist on RAW milk cheese than Michael. So here we deep dived into the topic of raw milk and how their full circle operation is the basis of their exceptional cheese.

Yes, we went full curd nerd here and discuss the particulars of sheeps milk compared to cow’s goats and others, why raw milk is so special and touch on the regulatory challenges cheese makers face here in Australia to make cheese from it.

Let get into it

Today’s episode is one for the curd nerds as here I talk with Cameron Rowan, executive cheese maker at Milawa Cheese about all things cheesemaking.

We all know how to eat cheese but the process behind the product is as diverse, complex and frankly captivating as the people who make it.

We sat down with Cam out our Sydney Festival in May,  to talk us through how milk, cultures, rennet, flocculation, forming, fermentation and a hell of a lot of patience can create great Australia cheese.

An artisan in the true sense of the word, it was a pleasure to get down to the nitty gritty of what goes into making Milawa’s King River Gold (which is a real favourite of mine).
And I have to say, Cam’s cheese journey is a truly fascinating one and we’re going to get him on here soon.

But until then, let's get into it.

In this episode, we speak with Mahlah Grey from The Pines, in Kiama.

Sitting down and talking with Mahlah is just a delight and you can’t help but enamored and motivated by her wonderful connection and enthusiasms to the farm her family calls home.

Everytime I chat with Mahalah, there is always something new and interesting to learn about the way they approach farming. It’s truly insightful and inspiring.

With 6 generations of dairy farming history at The Pines, it's safe to say they have seen it all over the years. Droughts, Floods, fires and then a pandemic Mahlah talks to us about the joys of reconnecting with the land and the significant differences just a few small changes can make.

She is a legend and if you want to learn more about what the team at The Pines Kiama is doing, Mahlah wrote a lovely piece in our First edition our Mould Digest which is available in all cheese boxes and at our Festivals. So make sure you grab a copy.

Also, a shout out to Mahlah’s husband Kel. Mark our words mate, we can’t wait to see you at the Festival soon.

From humble beginnings in the 70’s with a small her of just 12 milking cows, Bream Creek Dairy has gone from strength to strength.
Being one of the only remaining dairies in the area, the Bignell family now has a herd of 800 strong Holstein Friesian cows.

But as with all farming, it has it’s challenges and the need to diversify the family business led them to cheese making and we could not be more impressed with what they are producing and I’m sure I can say the same of those who have enjoyed some the recent cheese boxes.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Jack Bignell and James Green to discuss the evolution of Bream Creek Dairy and what makes that part of Tassie so special.

I’m not sure about you but by the end of this conversation I was looking at flights to Tasmania.

It really is a special place.

So let's get into it!

Behind every great artisan there is an even better story and for Iain and Kate Field, at Tongola Cheese in Tasmania, that is certainly true.

It was an absolute pleasure to sit down with these two and talk about the love of their Kids - yes we meant their goat babies as well as their humans - the cheese they make and their carbon positive farm and regenerative practices.

We also talk about the cheese, “Zoe”, which is in this month's June cheese box which will be reaching your doors this week.

Iain and Kate are truly dedicated to what they do and I’m so grateful to have the chance to talk with them and hear their story.
There is a lot to unpack here and I feel we may need to do a little sub-series on the farming side of things. But for now, let’s focus on the great Tasmania cheese which is focus this month Subscription box as well as the podcast here.

Let get into it.