Finding A Niche Market For Flavoured Cheeses

Kasselshoop, a small cheese factory near Stilbaai in the Western Cape, is a success story that started with a family’s compassion towards fellow farmers in the area. Co-owner Liesel Kasselman spoke to Jeandré van der Walt about the cheese-making venture.

- Jeandre van der Walt

When a large milk buyer decided in 2001 that it was no longer worth its while to collect the milk from small dairies in the Western Cape’s Droëvlakte area, the Kasselman family of Klein Soebattersvlakte, en route to Stilbaai, decided to help out. At that stage, the Kasselmans milked a Jersey herd of about 180 cows and the buyer was still willing to collect their milk, so the Kasselmans arranged to take in the local dairies’ milk to prove one collection point for the buyer.

That same year, the rural primary school on their farm gave notice that they would no longer use the building on the property.

“All of these factors contributed to the decision to start producing a good-quality dairy product true to the area while ensuring that the dairy farmers in the area received a good price for their milk,” explains Liesel Kasselman, co-owner of Kasselshoop.

FAST FACTS

• Kassie and Liesel Kasselman’s cheesery, which uses milk exclusively from local dairy farmers, has grown in leaps and bounds.

• The factory has increased production from 500kg of cheese a month to between 12t and 15t of cheese a month.

• Adding flavoured cheese to the product range has improved their profits.

A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

Today, the husband-and-wife team, Kassie and Liesel, head a successful cheese factory that has increased production from 500kg of cheese a month to between 12t/month and 15t/ month. They have also expanded their range from just two cheese products to 11, and will soon be adding a new product to their repertoire.

Kasselshoop’s cheeses are made from the creamy milk from Jersey cows.