Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers

About the company

Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers is a 100% family-owned business focused primarily on the production of branded blue cheese. The company's cow's milk cheese is branded Cashel Blue, while its sheep's milk cheese is called Crozier Blue.

Established in 1984 by Louis and Jane Grubb, the company is now managed by a second family generation, with the original cheese recipe created by Jane. Cashel Blue is a registered international brand. Cheese quality, flavour excellence, and production sustainability are its primary company objectives.

All Cashel and Crozier Blue cheese is made, matured, graded and selected at Beechmount Farm, Co. Tipperary, close to the historic town of Cashel.

Key Sustainability Commitments

Spotlight Target Area: Water

Water plays an essential role throughout the cheesemaking process as it is
required not only for making the cheese products, but also for keeping all
the workstations and machinery clean. Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers
has set the goal to reduce the water used per kilogrammes of cheese produced.

In 2022, they exceeded their initial milestone target by 9.9%.

The team achieved these improvements by reviewing their cheese production processes to gain an understanding of where system washing and rinsing could be made more efficient. Additionally, they extended water usage monitoring making it much easier to track where water consumption was the highest and inform decisions on potential improvements.

As a result, Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers reduced their demand for freshwater, lowering the stress on groundwater aquifers, with water scarcity being a real threat every year. In addition, their efforts result in reduced energy required to pump the water into their facilities, saving energy emissions.