From Singapore to Woombye: corporate highflyer to cheese maker

By Joanna JonesSingapore based couple Graeme and Karen Paynter were living the corporate highlife as ex-pats when Graeme happened to watch a lifestyle program about a cheese maker in Ireland; the seed of an idea sprouted, and just grew and grew until it evolved into a modern day small business success story – Woombye Cheese Company.Run from their Blackall Range Road property in west Woombye, Graeme and Karen relocated to the Sunshine Coast to pursue Graeme’s dream, never imagining in their wildest dreams it would grow into such a thriving business.Initially calling the cheese Blackall Country Cheese inspired by their location, they quickly realised that although the cheese tasted delicious and was well received, the name didn’t resonate with customers, so they rebranded to Woombye Cheese Company, and have never looked back.“We have literally been blown away by the response from the general public, local and national retailers and restaurants; we are now stocked in restaurants from Port Douglas through to Melbourne and Canberra, and we are launching into Tasmania shortly,” said Graeme.“People have embraced our product with open arms and we have grown from what was originally going to be a 2-3 day a week manufacturing process with a trip to the markets on the weekend; to a full scale business that operates every day and employs two full time cheese makers, an apprentice and an operations manager.”Graeme and Karen converted a tractor shed on their property to a dairy, and the rapid growth in popularity and therefore distribution led them to lease a second premises in Dagun in the Mary Valley.  All the cheeses are made on the premises, with no automation – everything is hand stirred and the highest quality ingredients are used, including 100 percent Cooloola jersey milk.Cheeses made include: camembert, triple cream brie, truffle triple cream brie, marinated Persian feta, cheddar, blackall blue and blackall gold (a delicious rind washed cheese).When Graeme and Karen were invited to participate in the Maleny Real Food Festival in 2013, only six weeks after commencing production, they were overwhelmed by the response.“This was a real catalyst for us and really leveraged us into the marketplace at a level we weren’t prepared for...we had queues five deep, it was quite incredible; we completely underestimated how much product we would sell, and this experience was repeated at this year’s Real Food Festival also.”Woombye Cheese Company products are available at selected retailers including Woombye IGA and Nambour Heights Butchery. They are used in excess of 60 restaurants throughout Australia, and demand continues to grow. To find out more visit: www.wombyecheese.com.