The Fairview Vineyard Cheesery has just won a bucketload of awards at the 2012 South African National Dairy Championships held last month in Stellenbosch, including a Qualité Award, five first places, eight second places and three third places.

For those of you who haven’t yet met the goats in their stone tower at Fairview, the cheesery produces a range of over 20 cow’s milk and goat’s milk artisan cheeses in Paarl. Cheese maker Louis Lourens, who has been with the company since 1990, is assisted by cheese maker Bruce Rowbotham and a team of experienced staff and food technologists.

But it’s not only in cheese that Fairview is breaking ground. It has recently been named the first carbon neutral cheesery on the African continent by The Carbon Protocol of South Africa. In carbon offsetting efforts, 145 trees were planted on the farm and at schools, old age homes and a public park. Additionally, a total of 7 812 efficient fluorescent lamps were installed in the workers’ houses at the Fairview farm, and in housing areas and special needs centres across KZN and Gauteng. The switch contributed to a 60% reduction in the lighting bills in these buildings.

Solar panels at Fairview reduce their energy usage by a third, and an economiser enables the cheesery to use steam to heat the water in the boiler, reducing boiler fuel consumption.

Awards
Qualité Award (South Africa’s only officially acknowledged symbol of outstanding dairy quality): Roydon Camembert.
First in class: Topped Camembert (for Woolworths) Cambozola (for Woolworths) Roydon Brie Goat’s Blue Roydon Camembert
Second in class: Cremé Camembert (for Woolworths) Tomato and Herbs Cream Cheese (for Woolworths) La Beryl Topped Brie (for Woolworths) White Rock and Apricot Brie?Ripe and Ready Camembert Blue Rock
Third in class: Bleu & Blanc Camembert

Visit Fairview Vineyard Cheesery for a taste of their award-winning cheeses, or dine at The Goatshed Restaurant on the farm.