FOUR GENERATIONS IN THE MAKING
The Berry’s are a fourth generation Otago farming family.
Whitestone Cheese was founded in 1987 as a diversification during the 1980’s rural downturn and a series of crippling droughts. Bob’s experience in livestock trading was quickly applied to cheese trading.
The original factory was set up in Oamaru in a converted garage with milk sourced from local farms and one variety, Whitestone Farmhouse, was launched.
The business slowly grew as an extension of the farming operation until todays purpose built factory was commissioned in 1996.
Son Simon joined the business full time in 2003, bringing a new set of skills and the farm was sold to concentrate on growing the exciting family enterprise.
Now employing over 70 staff, the expanded factory supplies cheese nationwide and offers guided tours.
Left: The Berry’s from left to right: Annabel, Jackson, Boe, Simon, Mia and Wicket.
Above: Founders Sue and Bob Berry MNZM, appointed for services to the cheese industry, 2016.
LOCAL MILK PRODUCED ON “SWEET”
LIMESTONE COUNTRY IS THE KEY
INGREDIENT TO WHITESTONE’S DISTINCT CHEESE CHARACTER.
Clean water, rich soil, quality pastures, a temperate climate and contented cows all make for our local premium milk supply.
Milk quality is strongly influenced by regional variants and North Otago has long been recognised as healthy stock country, our supply is predominantly from Friesian cows.
OUR CHEESE MAKING PROCESS
WHITESTONE FACTORY MILK SILOS 4°C OVERNIGHT 17 SEC @ 72°C PASTEURISING MILK TANKER FARM REFRIGERATION MILKING NORTH OTAGO DAIRY FARMS RAW MILK
MOULDING THE CURD DRY SALTING PIERCING BLUE CHEESE MATURING & MOULDING UP 12 WEEKS + VINTAGE 6 MONTHS + MOULDING THE CURD BRINE TANK FETA / FRESH CHEESE CHILLED BRINE TANK MILK VAT ADDING NATURAL CULTURES & RENNET WHITE MOULD STIR BLUE MOULD STIR STIR STIR HUMIDITY ROOM BLUE ROOM 5 DAYS SALT SALT SALT 8 - 12°C 12°C 9°C CUT & WRAP CUT & WRAP CUT & WRAP CUT & WRAP DELIVERED NATIONWIDE PRESSING & MOULDING THE CURD WAXING MATURING 3 MONTHS + VINTAGE 18 MONTHS - 2 YEARS SEMISOFT CHEESE MOULDING & DE-HOOPING MATURING, TURNING & MOULDING UP 12 DAYS SOFT WHITE CHEESE BRINE TANK ADDING NATURAL CULTURES & RENNET MILK VAT MILK VAT MILK VAT ADDING NATURAL CULTURES & RENNET ADDING NATURAL CULTURES & RENNET
CHEESE HANDLING
Do not allow your cheeses to dry out. Keep loosely wrapped in the original wrap or alternatively wax paper.
White mould and blue cheeses need to breathe. Semi-soft and hard cheese can be stored in airtight containers to prevent drying and hardening.
Brie and camembert ripen to be soft and runny at the edges. Should it smell of ammonia on opening give it time to breath for 30 minutes, ammonia disperses when ripe.
SERVING CHEESE
Allow your cheese to come to room temperature before serving to release its full flavours. Try removing from fridge at lunch time for an evening serving.
Serve with plain wafers, bread and fresh fruit that complement the cheese styles and flavours.
Honey pairs well with creamy blue cheese.
Serve between the main and dessert at dinner. Cheese is the perfect accompaniment to meals, rather than an appetite suppressant. Cheese with wine is the perfect match between these courses and leftovers can be enjoyed after dessert.
WINE MATCHING
No rules on cheese and wine matching, enjoy trying these combinations!
White mould cheese:
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris
Semi-soft cheese: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage Cheddar: Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
Blue Cheese:
Pinot Noir, Sticky Late Harvest wines
Shenley Station Blue
Whitestone’s only ‘Gold Label’ cheese. Utilising our own 45 South Blue mould strain found at Shenley Station, Fairlie, NZ. This unique blue cheese offers a soft white colour, complex raw mushroom flavour notes and a smooth sticky texture.
Vintage Windsor Blue
Hand selected Windsor Blue wheels are aged for 6 months. This intensifies the flavour profile of the rich and full bodied creamy blue, to produce a connoisseur’s blue.
Windsor Blue
A creamy blue with a soft buttery texture and a smooth mouth feel. This cheese has a unique blue culture that dissects the rich curd and combines to produce a delicate flavour that intensifies with ageing.
Moeraki Bay Blue
A premium high cream blue produced in a 1kg log. The small log has a shorter maturation than its stablemate Windsor Blue, producing a firmer texture and milder flavour with a rich full cream finish.
Highland Blue
A classic traditional blue style, the curd is dissected by Whitestone’s unique blue culture, producing a strong full bodied flavour with a sharp finish.
Oamaru Blue
Our latest blue cheese innovationbring to room temperature and you’ll be rewarded with a creamy, velevety texture and savoury moreish flavours.
Lindis Pass Brie
Developed from the historic 774 AS ‘brie de Meaux’recipe, this brie style requires full ripening to realise itsfull flowing potential, releasing its complex earthy mushroom flavours.
Lindis Pass Camembert
Historic camembert style cheese with a smooth voluptuous texture and intense rich earthy flavours. Curd is hand-ladled by cheesemakers to produce a full moisture cheese.
Benmore Brie
An ”unstabilised” brie, this is a living cheese that ripens with ageing. When young, it has a firm centre which slowly softens to melt at the cut edge when ripe.
Mt Domett Double Cream Brie
This unstabilised variety is made from cows milk with extra cream added. This has created a smooth textured cheese with a wicked rich flavour that strengthens with ageing.
Waitaki Camembert
Offering full rich flavours, Waitaki’s soft ready ripe texture is produced by ‘stabilising’ the curd with higher vat temperatures in the making process.
Probiotic Brie & Camembert
Whitestone’s premium brie and camembert cheeses with additional natural Bifidobacterium (BB-12®) probiotic. Delicate texture with rich milk flavours and mushroom finish.
GOLD
LABEL
BLACK LABEL
BLACK LABEL
BLACK LABEL
BLUE CHEESE SOFT CHEESE
Farmhouse
Whitestone’s first ever cheese. A unique New Zealand cheese covered in find penicillin candidum rind, Farmhouse has a lemon-grass aroma and springy elasticity.
Aged Airedale
Aged to produce a full-bodied flavour profile with a strong to sharp finish that intensifies with maturity. This semi-soft variety is unique to Whitestone Cheese and is named after the Airedale farming district in North Otago’s rolling lowlands.
Round Hill
An aged European style cheese with a semi-soft texture. Earthy, complex flavours and a sweet, nutty finish that enhances with ageing.
Livingstone Gold
A distinctive regional sharp flavoured cheese produced in our traditional open vat. A natural additive, annatto is added to produce its golden colour. Inspiration for naming is after North Otago’s historic Livingstone gold-fields.
Creamy Havarti
Whitestone’s premium milk produces a rich flavoured Havarti-style with a soft sticky texture and light acidic finish.
Mt Kyeburn
Aged cheddar smoked with natural maple smoke, providing a distinctive flavour. Great to add another flavour dimension to a cheese board.
Vintage Totara Tasty
Aged 18-24 months this is a classic strong flavoured vintage cheddar with a crunchy texture and sharp finish. Made like they did in the ‘old days’.
Monte Cristo
Complex, nutty, fruity. A sheep’s milk cheddar, Monte Cristo is pressed and matured for approximately six months, to produce a subtle nutty flavour that becomes stronger and more complex as it ages.
Vintage Five Forks
Made from 50/50 goat and cows milk, this pressed variety develops pineapple nutty flavours with a sweet finish that enhance with ageing. Our Vintage Five Forks has been aged for over two years.
Fuchsia Creek Feta
This style of cows milk feta is low salt brined to retain its fresh full milk flavour
Ferry Road Halloumi
Fresh cow’s milk Halloumi brined with a firm texture that holds its body when cooked.
The perfect personal or corporate gift ideas. The Wooden Giftbox contains 6 award winning cheeses from our range. Our Cheese Tin contains 4 award winning cheeses. We courier NZ wide and can include a message in the box.
3 Cheese & 4 Cheese Selection
The perfect presentation packs for a cheese board. 3 Cheese includes our award winning Windsor Blue, Totara Tasty Cheddar and a probiotic brie. 4 Cheese includes our award winning Airedale, Livingstone Gold, Windsor Blue and Totara Tasty Cheddar.
VINTAGE
Wooden Giftbox + Cheese Tins
VINTAGE
SEMI SOFT CHEESE
BLACK LABEL
HARD CHEESE
FRESH CHEESE SEMI
SHEEPS MILK CHEESE
& PRESENTATION
GOATS MILK CHEESE GIFT
WHITESTONE CHEESE FACTORY STORE
3 Torridge Street, Oamaru
Our Factory Store in Oamaru serves our full range of our award-winning cheeses, as well as local gifts and platter condiments. The Store also serves tasting platters, snacks such as scones and coffee.
GUIDED FACTORY TOURS
Our tours will give you a behind the scenes look at our cheese making process, all the way from ‘make to taste’.
Experience a cheese tasting, informative talk and guided tour of our factory through our viewing galleries, plus walk away with a goody bag sample.
For the more indulgent foodie, there is the opportunity to upgrade your tour to include a cheese and wine matching experience.
Tours are held Monday - Friday. Book online at whitestonecheese.com or contact us to make a private booking, email tours@whitestonecheese.co.nz.
CELEBRATION CAKES
Perfect for any celebration. Create your own visually stunning and delicious cheese cake using Whitestone’s award winning cheeses. Our celebration cake specialists will work with you to create your perfect cake - making it a easy and enjoyable process. We courier New Zealand wide.
Get in touch to discuss a celebration cake for your next event. Check our website or email sales@whitestonecheese.co.nz
CHEESE CLUB
The perfect gift to yourself, or your loved ones.
Enjoy a seasonal selection of hand-cut cheese delivered to your door. We have membership or gift subscriptions available, with the option to personalize the frequency and length of subscriptions. We courier New Zealand wide.
Memberships and gift subscriptions can be purchased on our website, or get in touch with our team: sales@whitestonecheese.co.nz
World Class Cheese
The Whitestone family is committed to exceeding customer expectations, by creating world class cheeses through innovative excellence and teamwork.
Available in all good supermarkets and delis New Zealand wide.
Bob Berry, Founder.
