At a time of relentless hardship for the dairy industry, a burgeoning export market is a bright note for this iconic brand. Kim Berry writes.
Speciality cheese and yoghurt producer, Meredith Dairy has secured a contract with Costco in the US to bolster its ongoing export success.
Dairy founders Sandy and Julie Cameron were looking for alternative farming systems to remain viable after the sheep industry collapsed in the 1990s. After extensive research into sheep and goat milk production and cheesemaking techniques, Meredith Dairy was born.
What started as marinated goats cheese in distinctive glass jars at rural Victorian growers’ markets is now shipped by the container load to the US.
Meredith Dairy national export and sales manager Rugby Wilson says: “Our exports are growing faster than the rest of our business at over 20 per cent a year. Last year, exports were 17 per cent of our turnover and it’s largely thanks to Australia’s free trade agreement with the United States that our competitive position continues to improve.”
