EWE+3 is Australia’s first sheep, camel, goat, and jersey milk cheese, and it’s already making waves.
A project brought on by the recent floods, this cheese is a collaboration between Towri Sheep Cheeses, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, Summer Land Camels, and Naughty Little Kids. All these farms can be found in the Scenic Rim area, a stunning location including six national parks, the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests, as well as many gourmet and winery experiences. What better place to create this delicious new cheese?
The idea
When the floods hit earlier this year, farms across the country were badly affected. This includes Towri Sheep Cheeses, a leading agri-tourism operator and producer of award-winning cheeses found on over 300 acres of land.
“The floods caused absolute devastation to our business, livestock and family farm, including the collapse of our main water supply,” says Dallas Davidson, who runs Towri with her mother. “Milk production went down 100% as our dairy was completely flooded. It was pretty horrid…but we emptied our gumboots, dried out our work gear and thought about how we could keep moving forward.”
“Then, it hit us, we could simply ask our friends – two and four legged.”
Dallas Davidson
This initial idea developed into a collaboration with Tommerup’s Dairy, producers of acclaimed dairy products and famed for their chemical-free and biodynamic practices. Together, these farms created Moo & Ewe, a Jersey and Sheep Milk Range. But they didn’t stop there.
“We thought – let’s take this further. We live in the glorious Scenic Rim, a region of dairies, of inspired producers, and of truly creative partnerships born of Eat Local Week, so let’s create a collaboration cheese.”
Towri and Tommerup connected with Summer Land Camels and Naughty Little Kids, two other producers in the Scenic Rim region who were eager to experiment. After lots of hard work, EWE+3 was born.
The farms
Towri Sheep Cheeses is home to over 350 sheep, specifically bred for milking. Their property also includes a cheesery, visitors area, cheese tasting areas, and the beautiful gardens.
Their initial partnership was with Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, a 6th generation family farm emphasising clean, green practices. They produce rich dairy products in their on-farm creamery.
The EWE+3 team
The collaboration also includes Summer Land Camels, Australia’s largest commercial Camel Dairy, and Naughty Little Kids, an award-winning cheese and gelati producer catering to the allergy free market.
Clearly, these farms know what they’re doing, and the results are delicious.
The EWE+3 cheese
The cheese
EWE+3 is a sheep, camel, goat, and jersey milk cheese. The complexity of the different milks means the natural rind cheese is full of flavour. This includes an earthy, buttery undertone, making it the perfect companion to a glass of wine and a relaxing evening.
EWE+3 has already been picked up by some of the major restaurants in Queensland, including The Paddock, ESSA, Blume Restaurant, and Mason Wines, with inquiries rolling in from other states. It’s also available at Towri’s September 18 Farmer’s Markets, and at their monthly Open Farm Days.
To learn more about Australia’s dairy industry, click here.