Creech plans gourmet cheese venture

Wyatt Creech

Wyatt Creech, a director of exporter Open Country Cheese, is about to launch a new venture producing specialist gourmet cheeses.

The former Deputy Prime Minister said he resigned from the board of listed property company Blue Chip this week due to time pressures because he was starting up the venture.

Creech said he was focusing on a new deal to enter the specialist cheese market and details, such as the venture's name, would be revealed in about two months.

A trademark application had been made for the name of the new boutique cheese manufacturer, which would use Open Country's existing Waikato plant.

The new business would deal in small-volume cheeses for specialist markets, leaving Open Country to handle the higher production volumes which were turned into cheddar, gouda and other cheeses.

The new boutique ranges would include camembert and brie. They would be produced at the Waharoa plant north of Matamata in the eastern Waikato, Creech said.

Open Country produces semi-hard and hard cheeses. Its range includes colby, edam, havarti, kahui, salad cheeses, goya and whey.