Béal Organic Cheese

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Béal Organic Cheese
Country of originIreland
RegionCounty Kerry
TownListowel
Source of milkCows

Béal Organic Cheese is made by Kate Carmody at Béal Lodge Dairy Farm, a small family-run dairy farm of Holstein cows on 56 acres located by the mouth of the River Shannon in Listowel, County Kerry in Ireland. It is a cheddar cheese and claims to be the first Irish produced using organic farming and methods. Béal Organic Cheese is handmade from cow's milk.

History[edit]

Kate Carmody began making cheese in 1987, after her mother presented her with a gift consisting of a cheese press and a book on making cheese. In 1997, she began the process of converting to organic production. She achieved full organic status in 2000, becoming the first organically produced Irish Cheddar cheese.[1][2]

In 2010, Carmody appeared on Dragons' Den in Ireland[3] where she secured an investment of €50,000.[4]

Products[edit]

There are three products in the Béal Organic Cheese range, although the availability of the cheese is subject to seasonal availability:[5]

  • Béal Mild Organic Irish Cheddar is made from pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet.
  • Béal Handmade Mature Organic Cheddar is made from pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet.
  • Béal Raw Milk Mature Organic Cheddar is made from raw unpasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet, and takes up to nine months to fully mature.

Awards[edit]

  • 2009: Silver, World Cheese Awards[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Beal Organic Cheese - Members - CAIS - The Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers Association". Irishcheese.ie. Archived from the original on 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  2. ^ "Beal Organic Cheese | Organic Cheese | Beale Lodge Organic Farm | Kate Carmody | Listowel Co Kerry". Goodfoodireland.ie. Archived from the original on 2010-12-20. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  3. ^ "Cheese-maker set to take on the Dragons". independent. 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  4. ^ Fitzgerald, Kyran (2013-01-26). "Niall is down but dressed for another success". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  5. ^ a b Glynn Anderson; John McLaughlin (August 2011). Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland: A Celebration. The Collins Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-84889-121-0. Retrieved 13 November 2011.

External links[edit]