No longer operating, Adrian and Jill Walcroft established Cartwheel Creamery in the Pohangina Valley, Manawatu, in 2011.
Cheesemaking had been on Adrian and Jill’s minds since 1996 though, when Adrian did a cheesemaking course, which led them to having a go at sheep milk cheese at home. They use cow’s milk from local farmers, and goats’ milk from a farm in Opiki. It’s no surprise they knew what they were doing given their backgrounds as scientists at Landcare and AgResearch, coupled with their discovery of washed rinds when they spent a few years in France.
Cartwheel Creamery was small but a growing business, and had a focus on making phenomenal cheeses through traditional techniques matched with modern food production science. They only used the finest milk from healthy and happy local animals. This included milk from some Jersey Cross cows they used for soft and blue cheeses, and from some Friesians they used for semi-hard cheeses. They also sourced some local A2 cows’ milk. They made their goat cheese from the milk of a local herd of Saanen goats.
They used a gentle batch process to pasteurise to retain as much of the goodness of the raw milk as possible. Nothing but cheese cultures, rennet and salt were added, and the cheeses naturally matured to develop a complex flavour profile that varied with the seasons.
Adrian and Jill won several awards for their cheese. Adrian was nominated NZ Champion Cheesemaker just before his sudden death.
Since the passing of Ade, Cartwheel Creamery no longer operates – but will for ever be one of the top cheese making companies in NZ.
