Making Mediterranean Style Cheeses in West Cork

Welcome to our family run dairy based in West Cork. We work with buffalo and cows milk to make cheeses influenced by the traditions of the Southern Mediterranean.

We started in 2011 with the goal of producing cheeses to rival their origins. We have worked with dairies and cheese makers from Italy, Spain and Greece,  learning traditional techniques and methods such as hand stretching, using whey starters and traditional rennet's. Translating techniques, based on the difference between Irish pasture milk and the extremely different microflora with Southern European farming techniques. 

We have our herd of "Mediterranean"  Water Buffalo in our farm in Drimoleague in the heart of West Cork. We also work with local cows milk producers that supply us with top quality cows milk. 

Our main focus is "pasta filata", i.e stringy cheese. From mozzarella to firmer and more aged versions such as caciocavallo, this is a cheese family that has thousands of years of history and culture. We also make ricotta, yoghurt, butter, frying cheese and even cheddar! 

If you make Mozzarella, the next step is to open a Pizzeria, so that's what we did! Toonsbridge Pizzeria and Shop open weekends from Spring to early December and is joined to the Dairy itself in Toons Bridge. You can find the menu on this site, along with opening times and a phone number.