SPOTLIGHT PROFILE: The Little Milk Company

I have great love and passion for the array of artisan producers and products available throughout Ireland at the moment; as indeed do the people behind these goods. I've always been interested to hear about how they got into what they're doing, why the love it and why we should too.

Along with some whimsical food questions, I'm attempting to peer behind the veil a little in these new instalments, I hope you enjoy them. This week, I chat to Teresa Phelan from The Little Milk Company. 

                                            All photos courtesy of The Little Milk Company 

What is the Little Milk Company? 

The Little Milk Company is a group of 10 organic Irish dairy farmers based around Munster and Leinster, who came together to get a better price for their organic milk. They were all farming organically for a number of reasons such as health, being conscious about what they fed their kids or concern for the environment, however they found there wasn’t much of a market for their organic milk and most of them were selling it to conventional dairies. The Little Milk Company was formed to provide the farmers with a fair price for their organic milk and add some value to it- and they began making cheese!

How does a collective work? 

We take the organic milk from our family run farms and bring to local artisan cheese makers close to the farmers as this is more environmentally friendly, logistics friendly and allows us to support another local business. The cheese makers then make the cheese and it is then sent to The Cheese Hub in Drumshambo in Leitrim to be cut and packed and distributed by Sean McGloin our cheese affineur (ager) and his team- from here we sent it to our customers! While the rest of us back in base in Dungarvan process all the sales, marketing and all the other day to day aspects of running a business.

What products are on offer? 

We have a range of cheeses-all organic of course. Brie, Brewers Gold- which is a craft beer washed cheese - (we use the beer from local brewery Dungarvan Brewing Company) Vintage Cheddar, Mature Cheddar and Mild Cheddar. We also have added delicious cream cheese topped with Fresh Basil Pesto or Red Pepper Relish. In our experience these are ones everyone loves, even people who aren’t huge fans of cheese and of course kids.

What makes Irish cheese different to other cheeses currently on the market? 

I think the main thing that makes Irish cheese different is that the milk its made with comes from cows which are grass fed; that makes a huge difference to milk quality and taste. Organic milk is even higher in vitamins and minerals, and some of our cows are only milked once a day which gives much creamer milk and you can really see that in our cheese, especially our Brie. In our harder cheeses people always say there is an earthy taste and this also comes from our milk and its wonderful.

                                     The Little Milk Company also provide Wedding Cheese Cakes 

What cheeses, in your opinion, would you always include on a board at a dinner party? 

I think you cant go past a lovely crowd pleasing creamy brie and great cheddar- our Organic Brie and Mild Cheddar are both so popular and appeal to all pallets- and then for the real show stopper- Brewers Gold! It’s a smelly one and definitely a cheese lovers cheese but its amazing hoppy flavor is wonderful- not to mention the half moon shape and orangey rind means it just looks beautiful and stands out among the rest.

Where can people buy products from The Little Milk Company?  

We are available in all the major retailers- Tesco, Dunnes, Supervalu- there are great local run stores so if you don’t see us ask and they will order for you. Then all the wonderful stores like Avoca and Fallon and Byrne and Independent Food Stores that are so brilliant to support Irish producers- you can go on our website and find your local stockist.

What are the collectives hopes for the future? 

We hope to grow the brand both in Ireland and abroad, and continue to help provide our organic farmers with a fair price for their milk and support local.