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<strong>Selwyn</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Wednesday <strong>October</strong> <strong>13</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
10<br />
NEWS<br />
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
Sheep milk something to bleat about<br />
A CHILD WITH food allergies<br />
and dairy intolerance has led a<br />
Kirwee couple to start milking<br />
sheep.<br />
Matt and Tracey Jones were<br />
so impressed by the difference<br />
sheep milk made for their<br />
daughter they embarked on<br />
their new venture and have since<br />
created a skincare range using<br />
the milk. The farming couple are<br />
about to unveil a range of bottled<br />
pasteurised milk and farm-made<br />
cheese.<br />
The Jones’ milk about 600<br />
sheep on the property. Just across<br />
from the milking platform they<br />
have built a milk processing and<br />
cheese-making factory.<br />
Farm manager Juan Cavallotti<br />
is also the head cheesemaker.<br />
The Uruguayan dairy specialist<br />
came to New Zealand on a<br />
training programme but never<br />
went back.<br />
“The first day I was here I went<br />
to work on a farm and I met my<br />
actual partner. Twelve years later<br />
we have a couple of kids and we<br />
are getting married in February,”<br />
he said.<br />
Cavallotti started working for<br />
the Jones’ three years ago. Prior<br />
to that, he was working on dairy<br />
farms.<br />
“One of the things with the<br />
cow dairy industry is that even<br />
though you might be a great<br />
manager you’re just one more<br />
fish in the pond, but doing this is<br />
something new,” he said.<br />
Cheesemaking is in his blood.<br />
His family, with roots in Northern<br />
Italy, started making cheese<br />
over a century ago.<br />
“I have a very, very old Italian<br />
cheesemaking book that was<br />
what the Cavallotti used to use,”<br />
he said.<br />
The Jones’ have recently<br />
teamed up with four other local<br />
sheep milk suppliers and Cavallotti<br />
says he expects to process<br />
up to 3000-litres a day at the<br />
peak of the season.<br />
“All the milk will come to this<br />
VENTURE: Juan Cavallotti<br />
oversees milking on the<br />
Jones’ farm.<br />
Below – Matt Jones.<br />
PHOTOS: RNZ/COSMO<br />
KENTISH-BARNES<br />
factory here and I will be a busy<br />
man.”<br />
Over the past couple of years,<br />
Cavallotti has developed a<br />
range of cheese. The first to go<br />
to market will be his Havarti<br />
and Gouda which will initially<br />
be sold in New World and Four<br />
Square supermarkets in the<br />
South Island.<br />
The pasteurised sheep milk<br />
will be sold in 450ml bottles and<br />
will retail for about $5, Jones<br />
said.<br />
“I don’t believe it’s going to<br />
take many years before people<br />
will buy this in preference (to<br />
cow’s milk) because of the goodness<br />
of the milk and the benefits<br />
to the environment.”<br />
The cheese and milk will be<br />
sold under The Jones Family<br />
Farm brand.<br />
The couple launched their<br />
Sabelle sheep milk skin and body<br />
care products last year.<br />
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