Northland traditional goat cheese maker Belle Chevre Creamery takes top trophy

Jennifer Rodrigue from Belle Chevre Creamery uses traditional and labour-intensive methods to create award-winning mild, creamy goat cheeses.

A boutique Northland cheese maker that milks its own goats and handmakes traditional goat cheeses has won a top New Zealand award.

Belle Chevre Creamery won the Best in Class Goats Milk Cheese trophy at the New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards gala dinner on Thursday night.

The trophy, sponsored by OJI Fibre Solutions, was awarded to its Betta than Feta cheese.

Belle Chevre is run by David and Jennifer Rodrigue on their Waipū farm, south of Whangārei.

Their goats are milked just two at a time and the fresh milk is used to make cheese daily, with much of the manufacturing done by hand to help keep the cheese mild and creamy.

While Belle Chevre has only been commercially producing its goat cheeses since 2019, it has already won a string of awards, including trophies for its Zalloumi in 2023, its Raspberry Bonbons in 2022 and its Belle Chevre Flat White in 2019.

The cheese maker’s Betta than Feta also won gold medals in 2021 and 2022, while qualifying for the trophy with a gold medal this year.

The cheese was praised for being made in the traditional Greek way and sold in brine, making it easy to store.

The New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards recognised 26 trophy winners, with Fonterra’s NZMP Epicure - also sold as Mainland Epicure aged cheddar - taking the top title of Woolworths Champion of Champions (Commercial).

The awards highlight world-class cheeses made in Aotearoa, amidst challenging business conditions posed by New Zealand’s free trade agreement with the European Union, said Simon Lamb, New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association chair.

The agreement means New Zealand-made cheeses will have to phase out geographically specific cheese names like feta and halloumi.

In answer to the challenges, the Rodrigues have started Waipū store Origin Northland, which sells local produce made with the lowest food miles available.

Along with Belle Chevre cheeses, the store sells a wide range of New Zealand cheeses, locally baked bread, vegetables, meats, olive oils and pantry staples.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.