On the windswept shores of Bass Strait, King Island Dairy has been handcrafting award-winning cheeses for generations. As one of Australia’s oldest dairy producers, we take pride in small-batch, handmade cheeses made using traditional techniques, honed over time and passed down with care. Our cheeses draw on our island’s unique climate, rich soil and salty pastures — the result, some say, of shipwrecked straw mattresses that scattered foreign grass seeds along the coastline, now flourishing in King Island’s pristine, mineral-rich environment and unspoilt pure air.
Every day, fresh milk from just a handful of local farms arrives at our dairy, where our passionate cheesemakers use time-honoured techniques to turn, wrap and nurture each cheese by hand. The result is a collection of richly flavoured, artisan cheeses that reflect the land and the people who make them.
It takes an entire island community — farmers, milk truck drivers, cheesemakers, wrappers, packers — working together to deliver something truly special to cheese lovers around Australia.
Now proudly Australian-owned once again, King Island Dairy is embracing its origins and crafting the future — one handmade cheese at a time.
Every wheel of King Island Dairy cheese is made right here on the island, using 100% King Island milk and time-honoured techniques passed down through generations. As one of Australia’s oldest dairy producers, we take pride in small-batch, handmade cheeses made using traditional techniques, honed over time and passed down with care.
Many of our recipes are decades old — like our rich, creamy brie first introduced in the 1980s — and we stay true to the traditional handmade methods that give our cheeses their distinct character.
For our smoked cheddar, we are still smoking it with the same custom wood chip blend we perfected over 30 years ago.
From turning and wrapping by hand to carefully ageing every batch, our cheesemakers honour the craft every step of the way.
