Entrepreneurs save cheese producer

A group of Yorkshire entrepreneurs have acquired the UK’s only producer of Swaledale cheese – a product that can be traced back to the 11th century.

Richard Darbishire, Bob Bigley and Bengt Odner bought the Richmond-based Swaledale Cheese business in July from the liquidators and have ambitious plans to revitalise the brand.

The firm’s first products will soon be ready to hit the shelves of both regional and national independent retailers and wholesalers ready for the Christmas season.

Mr Darbishire who has extensive experience of the dairy industry as he was one of the first employees at Leeming Bar-based ice cream manufacturer R&R Ice Cream, which started out in 1985 with just five staff and a turnover of some £200,000.

He was there for 17 years, latterly as procurement director, during which time the company grew to become the UK’s largest own label ice cream maker. It is now part of a joint venture with Nestle called Froneri, a global ice cream business with more than 10,000 employees.

Mr Bigley also worked at R&R Ice Cream where he was director of corporate development for five years from 2010.

Richard Darbishire, who is responsible for production of the. cheese, said: “Our intervention has saved this important UK cheese from extinction.

“The brand was previously available in Waitrose as well as in leading restaurants, independent retailers and wholesalers. We aim to restore these listings.

Atley Hill Raw Milk at Scorton near Northallerton provides all the milk for the business and currently delivers 4,000 litres a week.

With Mr Darbishire added: “All our milk comes locally from a single source and we are focusing on seeing that both our blue and natural cheeses are fully matured and ripened in our specially-designed, on-site facilities to produce that unique Swaledale flavour.”

The natural and blue versions of the cheese are hand-salted, have natural rind and are available in 2½ kg, 1kg, ½ kg and 200 gms formats from wholesalers as well as retailers Lewis & Cooper in Northallerton.

Corporate finance firm Frazer Hall Ltd and lawyers Glaysiers – both from Manchester – advised on the acquisition.