Wyke Farms

Wyke Farms is a producer of cheese and butter in Somerset. Wyke Farms is the largest independent producer of cheese within the United Kingdom.[1]

History

The original cheese recipe was created in 1861 by Ivy Clothier as a hobby.[2][3] She used her husband's first cow herd to produce cheese. The recipe became well known in local areas and she later bought milk from other farms. Ivy's recipe is still used today.[3]

Production

With help from UK Trade & Investment, the family run business was able to export its products to more than 160 countries. The company started expanding internationally in 1997.[3] The cheese and butter are partially made with milk from cows that graze in the Mendip Hills in Somerset. There is a herd of 1,000 cows which produce the milk and the company also uses milk from cows in nearby farms.[1][3] In 2015, it was announced that the company expects to "quadruple international sales" by 2019.[4]

The waste of cows and pigs are used to power the farm, rather than electricity from the national grid. It took 5 years to finish building the biogas plant.[5]

Diane Cox is employed by Wyke Farms for her ability to smell and taste cheese. Her employers pay £25,000 p.a. to insure her nose. She is able to infer which cheese will become a high quality vintage cheddar.[6] Cox consumes multiple times more cheese for her work than a typical British adult.[6]

Awards

Wyke Farms won the Award for Environmental & Corporate Sustainability from the European Business Awards in 2016.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Fox, Nicolette (May 15, 2014). "Wyke Farms cheddar goes green – in a good way". The Guardian. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  2. ↑ Sunderasan, Srinivasan (November 14, 2014). Cleaner-Energy Investments: Cases and Teaching Notes. Springer. p. 153. ISBN 9788132220626.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Wyke Farms: A global success". NFU. July 25, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ Askew, Katy (November 5, 2015). "Wyke Farms aims to quadruple international sales". Just-Food. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ Wills, Jackie (April 30, 2015). "Cow manure powers Somerset's charismatic cheese-makers". The Guardian. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Tamplin, Harley (October 9, 2016). "The woman with an amazing job and a £5 million nose". Metro. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ "The Award for Environmental & Corporate Sustainability". European Business Awards. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
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