The foundations of Wellstein Cheese Co. at Dorrigo were built in Newcastle when two cheese-loving students crossed paths.
Tim Wellham was studying a Bachelor of Science Biology. German-born Jessica Holstein was studying English overseas for a year.
"I came to Newcastle through a random assignment of Conservation Volunteers Australia after my sister decided to do a gap year in Australia and asked me to join her for a month in 2012," Holstein said.
"I fell in love straight away. The people were warm and genuine and fun to hang out with. I returned to do my year abroad for university in 2013 and never really left. I worked at Popolo Gelateria, Pekarna Bakery in Adamstown and Bootleg Bakery in Merewether; all places that appreciate traditionally made, exceptional food."
Wellham recalls working at Mr Sister, Hello Naomi Cakes, One Penny Black, Moor, Fortunate Son, Uprising Bakery and Bank Corner while studying. He was offered a cheesemaking position in Tasmania shortly before graduating and Holstein joined him, working in cheese sales and tastings.
"Bruny Island Cheese was one of the first companies in Australia to legally make and sell raw milk cheese in Australia after the raw milk cheese ban. My background in science helped immensely with my understanding of cheese making and it feels like the best practical application of my degree I could ever ask for," Wellham said.
"Instead of growing cultures on a petri dish I get to grow cultures in milk and create the best conditions for their growth and therefore the best conditions for maturing the cheese."
The couple then moved to Germany and worked in a small cheesery near Holstein's home town of Saarland that specialised in mountain cheeses and washed rind soft cheeses. They started in affinage (caring for cheese in maturation) and moved on to cheese production.
"It was great to enter traditional cheeseries and get a better understanding of what makes a good cheese. The regional differences and flavours are just incredible," Holstein said.
The couple moved to a 1200-acre working dairy farm in Dorrigo in June 2020, having fallen in love with the region's lush pastures. They started Wellstein Cheese Co. earlier this year, a sustainable artisan cheese company creating exceptional artisan cheese products that highlight the flavours of the Dorrigo Plateau terroir.
"I have really enjoyed learning about and working in milk production. It has given me a great appreciation for the work of our farmers and the milking herd, without which we would not be able to make such amazing and diverse cheese," Wellham said.
"Dorrigo milk is just too good to not make cheese."
You can find Wellstein Cheese Co. at markets around the Bellingen Shire area selling grilled French raclette cheese on Dorrigo potatoes while getting ready to produce their own soft cheeses by the end of the year.
"We will start with a range of soft cheeses, similar to camembert and washed rind cheeses you would find in France and Germany. We will try and get the flavour as close to raw milk cheese as we possibly can without breaking the law," Wellham explained.
"Our flagship is a lactic slow-set cheese with white mould. It drains over three days and tastes incredible and is not usually found in supermarkets because it is fragile and takes time to make.
"Living and operating in the Dorrigo mountains, we want to start making mountain cheeses soon after and traditional raw milk hard cheeses down the track. We have a small goat dairy down the road from us and are planning on doing some mixed milk cheeses as a seasonal special and to incorporate local Dorrigo pepper in some of our recipes."
The focus at Wellstein Cheese Co. is on quality, not quantity. All of the cheese production is done by hand.
"It is a small-batch operation and we want to make cheese the traditional way, before industrial production switched focus on quantity and shelf life," Wellham said.
"The milk we are using is exceptional. The cows graze on lush pastures and are well cared for. You can taste the richness and sweetness in the milk - happy cows make for the best cheese."
I ask them what it is about cheese that they love.
"Everything about it is fascinating to me," Holstein replied.
"The smell of fresh milk and curds and watching it change into something completely different is so satisfying. Caring for it, washing it and tasting it - it is just magical. Cheese brings people together and making it here is a way of sharing a piece of home and maintaining part of my heritage."
Adds Wellham: "It never gets boring. You can make a tonne of different cheeses with the same milk just by tweaking the recipe a little. Cheese making is incredibly old but the science of cheese making is still catching up. There is so much about the science of cheese making that hasn't been discovered that is very interesting to see and to be a part of."
