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Clevedon Valley Buffalo - Source: ONE News
An Auckland-based company is bringing a slice of Italy to New Zealand with its acclaimed cheeses and yoghurts.
Clevedon Valley Buffalo make a variety of products from their herd of 180 Riverine water buffalo.
Helen and Richard Dorresteyn founded the business when they decided cheese was an important ingredient for their local farmers' market.
"We started the Clevedon Farmers' Market and we needed cheese," said Helen.
"We started off very small with 20 stalls and couldn't get cheese, so Richard gave in and said he'd make it for me."
What was once a milking shed for cows became a milking shed for their original 18 buffalo imported from Darwin.
"We've changed it into a buffalo milking shed, obviously the bars up the front, where they put their heads through to have a bit of a feed at milking time, are a lot stronger and thicker," farm manager Richard Keast said.
Richard Dorresteyn, who trained as an industrial engineer, is now the head cheese maker.
Initially the job required 2.30am starts, with the cheese stretching process taking around four hours, but Dorresteyn says new technology has increased his speed.
"With the machinery we've bought in from Italy, that's right down to 30-40 minutes."
Richard said whatever you can make with cow or goat milk, you can make with buffalo milk.
"You can make a blue, a feta, make a hard cheese and obviously the mozerella - ricotta, a lot of flavoured yoghurts and a set yoghurt&pretty much whatever you want to do," he said.
Their cheese is now used in some of Auckland's top rated restaurants, but Helen Dorresteyn said without the support of local restaurants the company would not have become established.
"People will eat it at a restaurant, and they'll say, you know Clevedon Valley Buffalo, they'll try it, they'll say wow this is just like I had in Italy, and bang, they'll look for it on the shelves."
The company's buffalo produce has won several awards at New
Zealand's national cheese and artisan awards.
