17 awards for Dale Farm
Northern Ireland’s largest dairy company, Dale Farm, has been recognised for the excellence of its cheese and yogurt products, having picked up 17 wins at the International Cheese Awards at Nantwich.
The company’s award winning cheese portfolio includes its Dromona, Fivemiletown and Loseley ranges, sold across the UK and further afield. The clutch of wins included three gold, two silver and two bronze awards for its cheddar cheeses and a gold, silver and bronze award for Fivemiletown speciality cheese including a gold for Ballyblue, one of the first blue cheeses to be developed on the island of Ireland.
The Nantwich Show, renowned as one of the most important and competitive events for cheese producers, and the top one day agricultural show in the UK, aims to recognise and reward the very best of cheese makers from around the world.
“Dale Farm has been investing heavily in recent years to develop its cheese business and for our products to win 17 awards at one of the leading international cheese shows is an excellent achievement,” said David Dobbin, Dale Farm Group’s Chief Executive.
In May 2014, Dale Farm purchased the Fivemiletown speciality cheese business, adding products such as Ballybrie, Boilíe and Ballyoak to the existing Dale Farm cheese portfolio.
“Fivemiletown cheeses are a major recent addition to our product portfolio and having rescued the business from closure only two months ago, it is encouraging to see the craft and quality of our cheese makers in Fivemiletown being recognised as best in class,” continued David Dobbin.
“At every stage of our supply chain, our focus is on quality – from sourcing red tractor certified milk from local family farms to investing in making our cheese making facilities amongst the very best in Europe.”
“These awards are a seal of approval for consumers and important recognition for our dairy farmer members, cheese making team and employees across the business,” David said.
