Whitestone Cheese facts for kids

Whitestone Cheese is a well-known company that makes cheese in Oamaru, a town on the New Zealand South Island. The company's name comes from the special limestone called Oamaru stone, which is found and used a lot in the local area. Whitestone Cheese makes its delicious cheeses using milk from local farms, and they don't add any artificial ingredients.

The Story of Whitestone Cheese

Whitestone Cheese was started in 1987 by Bob and Sue Berry. They were farmers who decided to make cheese because of tough times in farming during the 1980s, like long droughts.

The company grew bigger and moved to a new, larger building in Oamaru in 1998. Today, Whitestone Cheese has more than 70 people working there. They even send their cheese to other countries, like the United States. Simon Berry is currently in charge of the company.

Key Moments for Whitestone Cheese

• In 1987, the company began in a converted garage in Oamaru.
• By 1998, they moved into a much larger building to make more cheese.
• In 2017, the factory expanded even further to keep up with demand.

Award-Winning Cheeses

Many of the cheeses made by Whitestone have won special awards. For example, their first cheese, called Farmhouse, won the top "Champion Original Cheese Award" in 2005.

Another cheese, Windsor Blue, won the "Champion of Champions Award" at the New Zealand Cheese Awards in 2006. That same year, Windsor Blue also won a Gold Medal in an international competition at the Brisbane International Cheese Awards. Since then, Whitestone Cheese has won many more awards in New Zealand for their great quality.

Whitestone Cheese Awards in Detail

Whitestone Cheese has won many awards over the years. In 2010, they received 23 medals at the New Zealand Champions of Cheese awards. This included six gold medals for cheeses like Dansey Pass (a goat cheese), Vintage Windsor Blue, Creamy Havarti, and Island Stream (a sheep's milk cheese). They also won gold for their cheese packaging.

In 2011, at the Cuisine New Zealand Champions of Cheese competition, they won two special awards and 34 medals. Their Vintage Blue cheese won the "Ecolab Champion Blue Cheese Award." They also won an award for their two-cheese platter packaging.

Delicious Cheese Varieties

Whitestone Cheese makes 23 different kinds of special cheeses. They often name their cheeses after places in the local area. This helps show where the cheese comes from.

One of their most famous cheeses is Whitestone Windsor Blue. Other popular types include Waitaki Camembert, Whitestone Farmhouse, and Whitestone Brie. They also make Mt Domet Double Cream Brie, Moeraki Bay Blue, and Highland Blue.

Special Milk Cheeses

Whitestone Cheese also makes cheeses from different types of milk:

• Sheep's Milk Cheeses: They make four kinds of cheese from sheep's milk, with Monte Cristo being a well-known one.
• Goat's Milk Cheeses: Three types of goat's milk cheeses are made: Parson's Rock, Duntroon, and Danseys Pass.