FDBusiness.com

Long known for its expertise in cheese production, international dairy, nutrition and flavours, Carbery Group is launching Carbery Dairy, a new cheese brand, specifically for the ingredients and food service markets in Europe and Asia. The range includes natural cheddar, ‘Cheese Extra’ – functional reduced fat cheese, speciality cheeses and a new range of pasta filata, including mozzarella and grilling cheese. These versatile cheeses are suitable for a wide range of applications including pizza, baking, ready meals, sauces, seasonings and snacks. The range offers varied flavour profiles and a high level of functionality such as excellent stretch, sliceability, good melting or low browning characteristics, among others.

In 2018, the farmer-owned co-operative announced its intention to diversify its cheese product range into pasta filata and target new markets with new products and applications, including expanding significantly in Asia. The ambitious expansion, underpinned by a €78 million investment in a brand new state of the art facility in West Cork, is now almost complete, with output set to increase from just over 50,000 tonnes per annum to 64,000 tonnes.

CEO of Carbery Group Jason Hawkins commented: “We have been implementing a strategy for a number of years now to diversify and grow our products, and therefore our customer base. Our extensive market research has shown us that demand in Asia for dairy products and particularly cheese is set to grow. We believe that our heritage and expertise in dairy, combined with our talented team of researchers, food scientists and cheese experts, have culminated in this exceptional cheese brand that we hope will inspire new and existing customers to create market-winning products.”

The varieties of cheese on offer through Carbery Dairy include:

• Pasta Filata (mozzarella and grilling cheese)
• Natural Cheddar (mild, medium, mature and vintage)
• Cheese Extra (a variety of highly functional, high protein, reduced fat cheeses)
• Speciality Cheeses (includes both Italian style and Inclusion cheese with flavours such as smoked, chilli, fajita and black pepper).

The Professional Range, which includes all of the cheese varieties on offer through Carbery Dairy, has been specifically developed to meet the needs of chefs in the food service sector. The cheeses have been tested in real-life food service settings to ensure they perform well under different cooking and baking conditions. They are also available in a number of formats, to suit the requirements of different kitchen capabilities.

Orlaigh Matthews, Marketing Manager for Cheese, added: “We’re excited to be entering the food service market with our Carbery Dairy range of high-quality cheeses. In developing the range, we drew on the creative and practical expertise of our chefs, who collaborate extensively with our customers to ensure the cheeses are suited to professional kitchens. Together with our cheesemakers and R&D teams, our chefs have created exciting recipes to satisfy consumer demands around the world. We hope food service suppliers enjoy creating delicious dishes for their customers that showcase the very best in Irish grass-fed cheese.”

Carbery was founded in 1965, and has spent over 50 years producing innovative, natural cheese solutions for international markets. It is one of Ireland’s largest cheese producers, and highly knowledgeable across the spectrum of dairy production from farming to food science and from research to food applications.

Today, over 50,000 tonnes of cheese is produced each year in the Carbery state-of-the-art, bespoke manufacturing facility. Milk from grass fed cows, free from hormones and antibiotics, is supplied from more than 1,200 local family owned farms, where cows graze outdoors for up to 300 days a year, meaning supply is guaranteed throughout the year. Group sales are in the region of €500m, and the Group currently sells to over fifty global markets.