From the pastures of Co Cork to the shelves of Dunnes Stores, fifth-generation dairy farmer Dan Hegarty is keeping the traditional art of clothbound cheddar alive.

For more than 25 years, Dan Hegarty has been turning milk from his family’s dairy farm in Whitechurch, into traditional farmhouse cheddar.

His Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Hegarty’s Clothbound Cheddar is bringing a taste of Cork’s rich cheesemaking heritage to customers of Dunnes Stores.

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A fifth-generation dairy farmer but a first-generation cheesemaker, Dan grew up in the midst of busy farm life. However, it was only after returning home from college and travelling that he began to consider a different future for the family business.

“My parents were still quite fresh at the time, so we started looking at doing something different,” he recalls. “I had some pretty good friends in the cheesemaking business and they said they’d help me along if I promised I wouldn’t make sour cheese. I’ve kept that promise!”

At the time, the farm was producing both milk and beef, but Dan was keen to find a way of adding value to what the family already did best.

Having spent time in France, Dan was struck by the way its farmers transformed local produce into something distinctive and highly prized.

“I look at our grass and our milk and we have super quality. In France, they have grapes and wine. I always think cheese is milk’s big chance of becoming famous.”

Cheesemaking business

With support and encouragement from established cheesemakers and an opening in the Irish market for traditional clothbound cheddar, Hegarty’s farmhouse cheesemaking business began. Today, the family milks 150 cows, with every drop used in cheesemaking coming directly from their own herd. It’s a demanding operation, with two calving seasons ensuring a year-round milk supply.

“We milk twice a day, 365 days a year,” Dan explains. “We’re used to it because our milk traditionally went into the liquid milk trade in Cork city. For somebody starting out, it might be a shock, but it’s what we’ve always done.”

That close connection between farm and finished product is central to the cheese’s character. Milk travels directly from the farm’s milking system into the cheese vat, with minimal handling along the way.

The Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Hegarty’s Cloth Bound Cheddar is made using traditional methods, formed into 20kg truckles and wrapped in cheesecloth before being left to mature for 12 months.

“Our cheese can breathe,” Dan explains. “It’s not wrapped in a big plastic vacuum pack like other cheese. Air can move in and out of it, and that’s what makes it distinctive. That’s why it tastes different to factory cheese.”

Patience is as important as skill. Each truckle spends a full year maturing before it can be cut and sold, a process that requires considerable investment long before any return is made.

“People sometimes can’t get their heads around it,” he laughs. “We make the cheese, put it up on a shelf and wait 12 months. Then we cut it to order and wait another two or three months to get paid.”

Some cheeses are matured for up to 18 months, developing the stronger flavours that Dan particularly enjoys.

“People are much more adventurous now. We love getting on short flights, going away and seeing what other places have. Then we come back and we’re much more interested in tasting different cheeses.”

Proudest achievement

As chairperson of CAIS, the Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers Association, Dan is passionate about promoting the quality and diversity of Irish cheese, particularly the small producers working in rural communities. But when asked about his proudest achievement, he doesn’t mention awards or accolades.

“One of the best things is that we’ve stayed going for 25 years,” he says. “Year in, year out, we keep going. We make a little bit extra every year and, if we change the recipe, we only change it a little to try to improve it.”

The business remains rooted in family life, with Dan’s children now old enough to lend a hand.

“I say to my kids, go away, have the craic, get a skill, do stuff. Then, if you’re ever interested, come back to us and we’ll see.”

Dan feels great satisfaction in spotting his cheese on a Dunnes Stores shelf, knowing exactly where it began.

“When I look at the code on the back, I know when we made it. I actually know what fields the cows were grazing at the time. To take grass grown on your farm, bring it through the whole system and then walk into Dunnes Stores and see your cheese there gives fierce satisfaction.”

Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Hegarty’s Cloth Bound Cheddar is available from Dunnes Stores, priced at €4.59 for 150g.