CASHEL FARMHOUSE CHEESEMAKERS

Founded in 1984, Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers is an independent, 100% family-owned cheese makers and maturers renowned for making Ireland’s first and most famous blue cheese, Cashel Blue. 

Cashel Blue is made according to traditional production methods with a strong sense of terroir and sustainable production. Cashel Blue is a unique family recipe and cannot be made by other producers. All of the milk comes from a maximum 40 kilometer radius from the dairy, with a third of the milk coming from the family farm. 

The dairy measures 2,000 m2 and is located on the family farm, next to the original farmhouse house where the first cheeses were matured in the scullery of the family home 40 years ago. Half of the modernday dairy represents extensive maturing caves. 

The characteristic taste of Cashel Blue corresponds to a harmony of flavors, with a notable, much creaminess acquired through a long and attentive affinage. The quality of the milk in this part of Ireland also contributes to the creaminess of the cheese, with a mixed breed between Friesen and Jersey. 

Cashel Blue has been exported to France since 2010 and has made a name and a place for itself on the cheese counter thanks to its accessible, modern and subtle character, which attracts new generations to blue cheese. 

Sarah Furno, owner of Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers, has been recognized as a Master Cheesemaker by the International Cheese Guild since 2018. Sarah is passionate about remaining an independent dairy in rural Ireland, with great respect for the produce, the community and sustainable production. 

70% of the electricity used by the dairy comes from the 560 photovoltaic solar panels that cover the roof of the dairy. 

Cashel Blue received a gold medal at the World Cheese Awards in 2022. The family also works with organic milk and sheep's milk.