Fonterra Brands (NZ) Bridge Street wins national and international accolades

Master cheesemaker/principal technology special cheese Cathy Lang with some of the awards the site has won over the years. Photo / Alyssa Smith

It was a good year for an Eltham cheesemaker.

Master cheesemaker/principal technology special cheese Cathy Lang won the Supreme Trophy for MilkTest NZ Champion Cheese Maker at the New Zealand Speciality Cheese Awards last year.

"I just couldn't believe it. I was very overwhelmed."

Cathy, who has spent 17 years making cheese, says speciality cheese is her favourite to make.

"It's what I enjoy most. I first started making cheese in my kitchen as a hobby and then started my own artisan cheese business called Cloudy Mountain Cheese. I continued with that for seven years before working for Fonterra. I wanted a more balanced life and working at Fonterra has given me that."

Cathy spent a year working at the Te Rapa Fonterra site as a chemistry technician before moving to the Bridge Street site in 2015.

"I've been here ever since. For my job, I look after all aspects of the product, create new cheeses and also train the other cheesemakers. We've got such a tight-knit community feel here as most of the workers live in Eltham or the surrounding districts."

Receiving the accolade is a dream come true for Cathy.

"It shows they recognise my skills and years of experience which is awesome."

It wasn't only Cathy who was recognised for her talents at the awards, with the Bridge Street site also winning several awards.

Four of the site's Kāpiti cheeses won awards — the kahurangi creamy blue winning the Ecolab Champion Blue Cheese Award, and the kikorangi triple cream blue won the Dominion Salt Champion Export Cheese Award.

The rarama washed rind won the Thermoflo Champion Washed Rind Cheese while the akatea brie won the 2022 CHR Hansen Champion Soft White Rind Cheese Award. Kāpiti also picked up 21 medals in total (10 gold, eight silver and three bronze).

The site's Mainland's Tasty Light cheese came away with the Tetrapak Champion Retail Pack Cheddar Cheese. The Mainland cheese scooped up 11 medals (six gold, two silver and three bronze).

The morning of the New Zealand Speciality Cheese Awards, Cathy says they had received an email announcing they had won international awards at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards.

"We were all pretty stoked that morning to hear we had picked up some international awards, at that point we didn't know about the national awards we've won. We're really stoked to have received so many awards this year."

At the international awards, the team won gold medals for their Kāpiti Kikorangi Blue, smoked havarti, pakari black currant cheddar, smoked havarti (soft) and the kahurangi blue cheeses.

They also received three silver medals for the Kāpiti awa blue vein, pakari smoked cheddar and kanuka havarti. The awa blue vein also received a bronze.

Cathy says this year she will be a judge for the international competition.

"I've judged the national competition here, but I'm always put into different categories than what I've entered so it remains impartial. I'm sure the same will happen over there. I'm so excited."

She says as well as the Fonterra Bridge Street staff being proud of the wins, the community can be too.

"We're just a little cheese factory in Eltham and we're winning big awards, that's something to be proud of."