 | |
| Industry | Dairy farming |
|---|---|
| Founder | John Clothier |
| Headquarters | Wyke Champflower, Somerset, England |
| Products | Cheese and butter |
Production output | 18,000 tonnes of cheddar |
| Revenue | £149.5million |
| £10.9million | |
| £10.48million | |
| Total assets | £83.44million |
Number of employees | 276 |
Wyke Farms is a producer of cheese and butter in Somerset. Wyke Farms is the largest independent producer of cheese within the United Kingdom. [1]
The Clothier family have farmed the land of Somerset for over 200 years. The original cheese recipe was created by Ivy Clothier (1908-1987) as a hobby. [2] [3] Ivy Clothier used her husband's first cow herd to produce cheese. The recipe became well known in local areas and she later bought milk from other farms. She won many awards for her cheese, the first being in 1952. Ivy's recipe is still used today. [3] Ivy had two sons James 'Jim' Clothier (1930-2002) and John Clothier (born 1943) who later become Chairman of Wyke Farms. John Clothier was, in 1947, introduced to the business side of the farm by his father, Tom Clothier (1906-1986) and his brother Jim. Tom took John to markets where he learnt how markets worked which was essential in running a business. By the age of 10 years old, John was allowed to bid, buy and sell cattle and pigs. [4] John Clothier left Tom Clothier and Sons to create the Wyke Farmhouse Cheddar company in 1980 but by 1992 the brand name was changed again to Wyke Farms as it fitted in the packaging better. Now Wyke Farms sells cheese to over 150 countries worldwide and brings in a turnover of over £100million. [5] In June 2020, John Clothier retired as Chairman of Wyke Farms after working at the farm for over 70 years, Paul Hardwick took on the role of Chairman. [6]
With help from UK Trade & Investment, the family-run business was able to export its products to more than 160 countries. The company started expanding internationally in 1997. [3] The cheese and butter are partially made with milk from cows that graze in the Mendip Hills in Somerset. There is a herd of 1,000 cows which produce the milk and the company also uses milk from cows in nearby farms. [1] [3] In 2015, it was announced that the company expects to "quadruple international sales" by 2019. [7] The farm currently farms just over 1,700. It is the largest independent cheese maker and milk processor in the UK, turning out over 17,000 tonnes [8] of cheddar. [9]
The waste of cows and pigs are used to power the farm, rather than electricity from the national grid. It took 5 years to finish building the biogas plant. [10]
Diane Cox is employed by Wyke Farms for her ability to smell and taste cheese. Her employers pay £25,000 p.a. to insure her nose. She is able to infer which cheese will become a high quality vintage cheddar. [11] Cox consumes multiple times more cheese for her work than a typical British adult. [11]
In 2019, Wyke Farms announced that they were going to expand the dairy. The new dairy would be 'super efficient and increase production from 17,000 to 40,000 tonnes of cheese a year'. [8]
Wyke Farms made a pre-tax profit of £4.1m for the financial year ending 31 March 2021 which is £900,000 more than the year before, Wyke Farms also achieved a turnover of £114.92million. [12]
Cheddar cheese is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting. It originates from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset.
Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as yogurt, cheese, milk and butter. A facility that produces dairy products is a dairy. Dairy products are consumed worldwide to varying degrees. Some people avoid some or all dairy products because of lactose intolerance, veganism, or other health reasons or beliefs.
A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also describe a dairy farm or the part of a mixed farm dedicated to milk for human consumption, whether from cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, horses or camels.
The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative headquartered in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The association manufactures and sells dairy products under the "Tillamook" brand name. Its main facility is the Tillamook Creamery, located two miles north of the city of Tillamook on U.S. Route 101.
Maytag Dairy Farms, based in Newton, Iowa USA, is a manufacturer of blue cheese and other food products.
Saputo Dairy UK, formerly Dairy Crest Limited, is a British dairy products company. It was created in 2019 when the Canadian company Saputo Inc bought Dairy Crest. Dairy Crest itself was created in 1981 as a spin-off of the Milk Marketing Board. Its brands include Saputo Dairy UK, Cathedral City Cheddar Cheese, Country Life Butter, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite and Clover.
Dunlop is a mild cheese or 'sweet-milk cheese' from Dunlop, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It resembles a soft Cheddar cheese in texture. Though it fell out of popularity some time after the end of the Second World War, it is now appreciated for its value in various recipes and for eating on its own or with a dram of whisky.
Dubliner is a sweet, granular cheese made from pasteurised cow's milk aged over a year and manufactured by Carbery, located in County Cork, Ireland. Since 1996, it has been marketed internationally by Ornua under the Kerrygold label. The cheese is named after the city of Dublin, although it is made in County Cork.
Valio Ltd is a Finnish manufacturer of dairy products and one of the largest companies in Finland. Valio's products include cheese, powdered ingredients, butter, yogurt and milk. It is Finland's largest milk processor, producing 85% of the country's milk.
Uniq plc was a British food manufacturer. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, it was taken over by Irish foods conglomerate Greencore in 2011.
Joseph Harding was responsible for the introduction of modern cheese making techniques and has been described as the "father of Cheddar cheese". He is credited with having invented the "definite formula" for the production of cheddar cheese.
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is an artisan cheesemaker with retail locations in the greater Seattle area and several airports. The company was founded by Kurt Beecher Dammeier in 2003 and opened in Pike Place Market after Dammeier obtained a difficult to obtain storefront lease in the Market. Because Dammeier had never been a cheesemaker, he sought out the assistance of Brad Sinko, who helped run a family cheese-making business in Oregon. A second location was opened in 2011 Manhattan's Flatiron District; this closed in October, 2022.
Barbara Gilmour was a significant figure in 17th century Ayrshire having introduced a method of cheese making which became common throughout Ayrshire and beyond, providing employment and extra income for farmers and others. She lived near Dunlop, a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland, lying between the village of Lugton and the town of Stewarton on the old turnpike road to Glasgow. Cheese made by her method became known as "Dunlop cheese".
Béal Organic Cheese is made by Kate Carmody at Béal Lodge Dairy Farm, a small family-run dairy farm of Holstein cows on 56 acres located by the mouth of the River Shannon in Listowel, County Kerry in Ireland. It is a cheddar cheese and claims to be the first Irish produced using organic farming and methods. Béal Organic Cheese is handmade from cow's milk.
Fivemiletown Creamery is based in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and is a producer of handmade speciality soft cheeses and cheddars The company is a farmers' co-operative, and employs around 40 people. The creamery draws its milk supplies mostly from over 60 dairy farmers from across Northern Ireland. The company was founded in 1898 and added cheese production in 1972. Fivemiletown Creamery is the only speciality cheese maker in Northern Ireland. In 2014 Fivemiletown Creamery was acquired by Dale Farm.
Vermont Creamery is a creamery and artisanal cheese and butter-maker in Websterville, Vermont, USA. It was founded in 1984 by business partners Allison Hooper and Bob Reese. Previously known as the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, the company adopted its current name in 2013.
Vegan cheese is a category of non-dairy, plant-based cheese analogues. Vegan cheeses range from soft fresh cheeses to aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-based Parmesan. The defining characteristic of vegan cheese is the exclusion of all animal products.
Dairy is a major industry in the state of Wisconsin. Being known for its dairy production, the state is often called "America's Dairyland." The industry is prominent in official state symbols—being displayed on the state's license plates, state's slogan, and on the state quarter.