Meet the Dairy Girls

Rolling green pastures, cows lazily grazing the day away…the mental image conjured when one imagines life as a farmhouse cheesemaker is idyllic, but only captures a snapshot of the sophisticated operation within. “I’m sure many chefs could relate to our dayto-day,” says Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith of St Tola Goat Cheese in West Clare. “You walk in on any given day, and obviously you have a plan, but it can all go out the window when you open the door or your emails to see what’s the latest…excitement is the way we should put it! It can be a balance of making sure the day-to-day work is being done, while also making sure the creativity is flowing within the team and within the cheese making process.”

Sarah Furno — co-owner at Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers in Co. Tipperary — couldn’t agree more. “The momentum of life as a farmhouse cheesemaker depends on whether the variables are aligned: is that day’s milk nice and consistent; are your cows about to calve… we also hand-select and taste each batch that is shipped to customers, so customer relations are a part of each day,” says Sarah. “Then, there are days where you’re meeting with a group of international customers, and you have a knock on the door at 8am with a surprise BRC audit!” Irish farmhouse cheeses are internationally recognised as some of the best in the world; both Cashel Blue’s signature blue cheese (as well as its creamy sheep’s milk Crozier Blue) and St Tola’s range of goat’s cheeses have amassed an unrivalled series of local and global awards. This is really Irish farmhouse cheesemaking at its finest: both St Tola and Cashel Blue are family-run businesses, relying on sustainable farming practices, only grass-fed cows, sheep and goats and traditional cheesemaking methods. “Businesses like ours have team members who have been with us for over a decade,” says Siobhán. “That connection with the team then is very important as it’s more kind of an expansion of our family.”

But how does a family-run farm manage a global market, while staying true to its ethos? “With a sense of perspective, there’s a limit to the number of customers you can sustainably manage,” says Sarah. “And this is where the structure of a network like Sysco is a huge benefit to farmhouse cheesemakers.” Sarah and Siobhán agree that not only do their relationships with Sysco open the door to servicing a wider range of customers, it actually provides a more environmentally sustainable route to market, supporting their commitment to core values. “Isn’t it far better for our product to disperse through a more sophisticated network, rather than adding loads more little vans of our own to the country roads,” added Sarah.

expansion is to make sure you always have a very, very good product. “It’s important to find the balance between being on the farm and making sure you are working with your team, creating the best quality achieve that you can, and then being able to get that story out there to your customers,” says Siobhán. “Working with Sysco has been crucial to St Tola because we would be 90% within the home market, and 40% of that is foodservice.”

Leaning on the Sysco distribution network allows Sarah and Siobhán the space to concentrate on the quality — and range — of their products. “As with other genuine farmhouse cheesemakers, the product very much depends on seasonality: are the animals inside or outside, as their diet is reflected in the milk and thus in the cheese,” says Siobhán. From checking the daily stock of cheeses, their variety and specific age profiles per customer order, Siobhán emphasises the role Sysco plays in ensuring St Tola can meet the specific needs of each customer.

“You know, it’s admirable within Sysco that the dairy team are very accessible to us producers,” added Sarah. “We can pick up the phone and say, you know, are you sure you want that size of order?

Siobhain Ni Ghairbhith of St. Tola

Or, we can’t quite manage that amount just now, so can we get the next batch to you next week so we make sure there is always product coming through…they’re very responsive and it’s lovely to have that understanding of the cheesemaking process.”

Siobhán agrees that this close relationship allows her to best manage quality control of St Tola’s production, rather than cutting corners to fulfil big orders. “It’s important to be able to say, can we split this order, or do you really need that amount? I’m sure none of us wants to see wasted product or for it to sit too long on a shelf; our cheese is best kept for as long as possible in our own cheese rooms, in our own cold rooms, so that it’s sent out in prime condition.”

When it comes to the Christmas rush, both Sarah and Siobhán agree that less is more: “when it comes to farmhouse cheeses, they’re best as a light option,” says Siobhán. A few simple accompaniments of candied nuts and dried cranberries are ideal for both Cashel Blue or St Tola goat’s cheeses, with their creamy and earthy flavours lending the ideal pairing to roast vegetables, charcuterie boards or fresh salads.

With the world knocking on the door of their country farms, St Tola and Cashel Blue are excited for many more years of growing their businesses, with a steadfast commitment to local, sustainable and quality farmhouse cheesemaking practices. “At the end of the day, we just love it" says Sarah, "the diversity and the authenticity of doing something so real".