Click photo to enlarge
Robin and Lois Greer, of Retro Organics Dairy Factory at
Tuturau, with some of their maturing cheeses. Photo by
Charmian Smith.
A couple of Tuturau farmers are fulfilling their dream
to re-create an old-style farm dairy, where farmhouse cheeses
are produced from the milk of the cows in the adjoining
pasture. Charmian Smith visits Robin and Lois Greer of
Retro Organics in Southland.
Robin and Lois Greer of Retro Organics have dreamed of making
cheese from the milk of their own cows ever since they moved
to Southland 17 years ago.
For almost a year they have been doing so, producing cheese
from the milk from their two organic dairy farms at Tuturau
near Mataura, and are about to start making a thick,
Greek-style yoghurt.
The couple sharemilked in the Waikato before moving and
buying their own farm in the South.
Southland has the best climate for dairying - it grows great
grass and there's reliable rain in summer, Mr Greer says.
Certainly, surrounded by rolling green paddocks with the
Mataura River flowing a stone's throw away, and a herd of
small brown Jersey cows gathering near the gate in the
sunshine, it looks idyllic.
A small staff who share the owners' ideals help on the farm
and in the factory.
Their herd is mostly Jersey and Jersey-cross. About
two-thirds the size of the more common Friesian cows, they
need less feed in winter, and their milk has a higher
butterfat content, Mr Greer says.
Some of the special character of their cheeses comes from the
seasonal variation in the milk as, unlike many other
cheesemakers, they do not standardise their milk, so the
butterfat content varies.
The mix of herbs in the pasture, including plantain and
chicory, not only gives a local flavour to the milk, but also
helps balance the soil. Both the Greers lost their fathers to
cancer when they were teenagers and were concerned about the
carcinogenic potential of the chemicals used in farming, so
they decided to reduce their use. Having made the decision,
they found there was little information about organic dairy
farming.
While there were several organic beef and sheep farms in
Southland, there were only four organic dairy farms, Mr Greer
said.
It took a long time to get the soils back in good balance and
for the past nine years they have been moving towards
organics. They are now in the last year of transition to full
Bio-gro certification.
The Greers visited several boutique cheesemakers in the
granite belt in Queensland and come back with many ideas for
their project.
However, dealing with bureaucracy, getting the required
consents and meeting various requirements to build the
factory is difficult for a small producer, so they have built
their factory larger than first planned to avoid having to
extend it later, Mrs Greer says. Within five years they hope
to be able to process all their own milk - Fonterra presently
takes what the Greers do not use, but it doesn't pay a
premium for organic milk, Mr Greer says.
The couple have a small shop which runs the length of the new
factory, with viewing windows displaying the gleaming
stainless-steel equipment and the cheeses, sealed in plastic,
maturing on white pine shelves.
The white mould from the camembert and farmhouse is so
prolific it would grow on everything - the feta, the cheddar,
the colby and halloumi, if the cheeses weren't encased in
plastic he says.
Some years ago, Mr Greer did a weekend cheesemaking course
with Dave Milner, who helped set up several boutique
cheesemakers in the South and still advises the Greers. For
18 months he experimented in the kitchen, and finally, about
a year ago, when the factory was finished, they started
making their own cheese.
They are a work in progress - they haven't been going long
enough to have an aged or vintage cheddar yet.
The cheeses are named after Southland localities, such as
Wyndham mild cheddar, a creamy, sharp Glenham colby, Catlins
camembert, Riverside feta, and Hokonui halloumi which is
ideal for barbecues as it doesn't melt. Some are flavoured
with cumin or sage which gives a delicate flavour.
They are available by mail order or from the farm shop at 651
Mataura-Wyndham road, which is open on Wednesday afternoons
or by appointment, and can be found in supermarkets and
organic shops around the country, and at the Gore farmers
market on the first and third Saturday each month.
• www.retroorganics.co.nz
