Key Facts:
- King Island Dairy won seven gold medals and the Champion Trophy for Best Hard or Semi-Hard Variety at the South Australian Dairy Awards for their Heidi Farm Tilsit.
- The dairy also secured silver medals for their Surprise Bay Cheddar, Furneaux Double Cream Brie and Seal Bay Triple Cream Brie.
- This success follows five gold medals at the Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards and recent international recognition at the World Championship Cheese Contest.
- The 120-year-old dairy was recently saved and returned to Australian ownership by entrepreneurs Graeme Wilson and Nick Dobromilsky.
- As Tasmania's largest employer, King Island Dairy plans to focus on product innovation and strengthening retail partnerships under its new leadership.
King Island Dairy has done it again!
Australia's oldest artisan cheesemakers King Island Dairy have dominated the South Australian Dairy Awards - Cheese category ahead of the Royal Adelaide Show, bringing home a whopping SEVEN gold medals and the Champion Trophy for Best Hard or Semi-Hard Variety Other Than Cheddar, the exquisite Heidi Farm Tilsit.
The Heidi Farm Tilsit also won gold for the Dairy, alongside the Heidi Farm Gruyere, Heidi Farm Raclette, Roaring Forties Blue, the Endeavour Blue, Black Label Double Brie washed rind, and already multi-decorated Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar.
Surprise Bay Cheddar, Furneaux Decadently Creamy double cream style brie, and the Seal Bay Triple Cream brie nabbed Silver medals.
These incredible wins follow a successful sweep of the Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards, where the 120 year old dairy won five gold medals - of which four (Endeavour Blue, Black Label Double Brie, Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar, and Roaring Forties Blue) appeared in this list.
This fortifies King Island's tilt for even more outstanding results at this year's premier dairy competition, the Australian Grand Dairy Awards this October.
"We're beyond thrilled with these results," says new Managing Director Nick Dobromilsky. "It goes to show that Australians still have a deep love for locally made artisan cheese, and we're proud of the entire King Island Dairy family for achieving these monumental results.!"
King Island Dairy cheeses are renowned the world over: Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar won Champion Flavoured Cheese at the Dairy Australia 2024 Australian Grand Dairy Awards; the Furneaux Double Brie won the Bronze award in the 2024 Brie category at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin, USA.
KING ISLAND DAIRY PROUDLY AUSTRALIAN ONCE AGAIN
King Island Dairy may have been lost forever - if it wasn't for two entrepreneurs who swooped in at the last minute to save the dairy and its rich history.
Graeme Wilson and Nick Dobromilsky - with Dobromilsky hailing from Tasmania - joined forces to buy the ailing dairy and deliver it back into Australian family ownership.
King Island's iconic Dairy is the small island's largest employer and one of many major tourist attractions.
The new leadership team's vision is to invest in product innovation, enhance retail partnerships, collaborate with the broader food industry, and reinforce King Island Dairy's connection to the land and its skilled cheesemakers.
King Island Dairy's award-winning cheeses are available at Coles, Woolworths, and fine gourmet retailers.
About us:
King Island Dairy is Australia's oldest operating cheese and dairy, working with time-honoured artisan cheesemaking processes. Winner of hundreds of awards over its 120 year existence, King Island Dairy has become symbolic of fine artisan Tasmanian - and Australian - cheesemaking. The Dairy was on the brink of closure in 2024 when it was saved by local entrepreneurs Graeme Wilson and Nick Dobromilsky, ensuring its place as King Island's largest employer and pillar of the community.
