It all started with a husband’s promise to make his wife some cheese.
In 2005, Helen Dorresteyn decided Clevedon needed a farmers’ market.
Helen and her husband, Richard, had travelled through the South Island and were inspired by the markets they found there. Back home, Helen could see talented local growers, farmers and producers all around Clevedon, that had nowhere to sell directly to their community. So she set about creating one. It took plenty of door-knocking and persuasion, but the Clevedon Farmers’ Market began to take shape.
But, something was missing.
There was no cheese.
When she mentioned it to Richard, his answer was wonderfully simple:
“Ok darling, I’ll make cheese for you.”
There were already excellent cow, goat and sheep cheeses available in New Zealand, so if they were going to do it, they wanted to make something different. They thought back to the fresh buffalo mozzarella they had eaten in Italy and the striking difference between that and the imported mozzarella they knew at home. Buffalo mozzarella seemed like the answer.
Of course, deciding to make buffalo cheese and actually making buffalo cheese are two very different things.
And that is where the real adventure began.
Then came the buffalo
With no background in buffalo farming, Helen (a teacher) and Richard (an electrician) brought New Zealand’s first milking herd of Riverine water buffalo into the country from Australia and began learning everything from scratch. Those early years were full of trial, error and persistence, with no local knowledge to draw on.
Over time, they carefully developed the herd through selective breeding, focusing on good milk production and calm, even-tempered animals.
Clevedon Buffalo Co. was built by asking “why not?” and then doing the hard work to make the answer extraordinary.
Learning the craft
The first mozzarella wasn’t rushed to market.
Helen and Richard experimented with mozzarella and ricotta, but refused to sell anything until the quality was consistently right.
In 2008 they travelled to Italy for the World Buffalo Congress, learning from an experienced mozzarella maker before continuing to learn their craft back home.
It took a lot of hard work and persistence.
That commitment laid the foundation for a long history of award-winning buffalo cheese and yoghurt.
An award-winning range
What began with fresh mozzarella grew into a premium range made entirely from buffalo milk, including ricotta, feta, marinated buffalo cheese, gouda, tartinades, cream cheese, salted curd and yoghurt.
Over the years, Clevedon Buffalo Co. has received numerous awards across the range, reflecting their longstanding commitment to quality.
But for Helen and Richard, it has always started on the farm, with good farming practices, a well-cared-for herd and milk of exceptional quality.
Still proudly Clevedon
Two decades on, Clevedon Buffalo Co. remains a family-run business firmly rooted in Clevedon, with a close-knit team of local staff who are proud to be part of the care, craft and hard work behind everything they do.
The buffalo graze in Clevedon overlooking the Hauraki Gulf, while the business continues to combine farming, cheesemaking and product development with a hands-on approach.
The farm continues to evolve too, with planting around waterways and a composting barn that helps protect wet paddocks and return nutrients to the land.
Still curious, still experimenting, still expanding.
