"We will always be an artisan producer, sourcing milk from local dairies and creating
cheese imbued with the character of the locale and passion of the maker."
- Victoria McClurg, Director
Our Story
How we started cheese making
The Barossa Valley Cheese Company is the success of the hard-working Victoria McClurg, who is also a qualified wine maker. After a stint making wine in Bordeaux, France, Victoria found a passion for cheese, the joy in sharing cheese with friends and pairing cheese with wine.
When she returned from France to the Barossa Valley, she began making cheese at home in the kitchen with her mum, Frances McClurg.
In March 2003, Victoria and Frances opened The Cheesecellar in the main street of Angaston, in South Australia's premium food and wine destination, the Barossa Valley, just an hour from Adelaide.
Victoria is also an active and highly regarded part of the food industry and Barossa community, serving on the board of Food SA and also joining the Barons of Barossa in 2018.
Our Cheesecellar
Since opening in 2003, visitors are welcomed into Cheesecellar, to enjoy the cheese that is made on site. The Cheesecellar is now open Thursday to Sunday 10-4pm.
The Cheesecellar offers:
- the full range of Barossa Valley Cheese Company cheese products
- local gourmet condiments
- a range of perfect cheese accompaniments
- a viewing window and live stream TV allowing visitors to see the 'whey' the team live, eat, breathe and make our exceptional cheese
The Barossa Valley Cheese Company has continued to grow however Victoria remains the chief cheese maker, trains all of the production team and still makes all our cheese on-site.
We redeveloped our production facilities in 2015 and have expanded in the tourism retail space. This means we have even more space to create our cheese and share our passion with our customers.
WHY IS OUR CHEESE DIFFERENT?
Regardless of growth, Victoria insists that the Barossa Valley Cheese Company will not stray from its artisan ethos and supporting our local farmers. And why would we, when we are situated in the perfect place to make cheese - the Barossa Valley.
We specialise in hand-making a range of cheese with Barossa-sourced cows milk and South Australian goat milk. Our cheese range includes:
- fresh cheese
- soft white mould cheese
- washed rind cheese
- semi-matured style cheese
We also pride ourselves on being innovative and creative with our cheese-making, pushing the boundaries as we develop new cheese and techniques.
WHERE WE SOURCE OUR PRODUCE
Cow milk from the Nietschke Family
From day one, Victoria has partnered with local Barossa farming family the Nietschke's, for supply of premium cows' milk. This close relationship ensures the highest quality milk, perfect for cheesemaking.
Jamie Nietschke is a fifth generation Barossan, and seventh generation farmer who lives with his family at Koonunga looking after their mixed farming property with cows and vineyards. Jamie is an innovative farmer who seeks out better ways to farm and more sustainable business practises. He invests in himself and his community, aligning him as a great partner for the Barossa Valley Cheese Company.
Our semi-matured cows milk cheese has been named the Barossa Nietschke Farm Cheese in celebration of our ongoing relationship with the Nietschke family.
GOAT MILK FROM THE OKSBJERG FAMILY
Anders Oksbjerg is from a farming family in Denmark and has been farming dairy goats in South Australia since 1996. Together with his wife Alison, they have several generations of farming background. Farming isn't a hobby, it's a way of life; which is why BVC uses their quality goats milk to produce their range of goats milk cheese.
We have a small range of goats milk cheese which are a seasonal product due to availability of the milk. These include:
- La Dame, a semi-matured goats milk cheese that provides a different flavour for the South Australian cheese world.
- Three varieties of soft cheese
- A goats milk curd