It’s always ‘cheese’ for this family
IN THIS FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS, PASSION AND CREATIVITY RUN HIGH. WRITES ABOUT A SMALL-SCALE GOURMET CHEESE AND YOGHURT PRODUCER IN THE MIDLANDS
TRISH BEAVER
THEIR quality yoghurt and assorted cheeses are well known in the Midlands, and their reputation has grown in the five years they have been producing cheese and yoghurt in the traditional Greek style of straining.
Dimitri Dimitriades has always been a man who likes a challenge, but retirement did not suit him after a stint of sugar cane and free range chicken farming in Kwazulunatal, so he invested his pension in a property in the Lions River area of the Midlands.
He convinced his wife Rosemary that they should try and make a bit of cheese as a side business.
Dimitri has always been a handson learner, adapting his skills from sales to management and now farming.
They began by purchasing a few litres of milk from their neighbours and creating their cheese on a double boiler pot. The process was long and arduous.
They went to visit a relative in Madagascar who ran a small cheesery and, with some tips,
Dimitri became inspired. He began to expand his Midlands operation and his daughter Filia was roped into the cheese production one weekend when her parents were away on a trip. After a few frantic phone calls back and forth she managed to get the cheese done and it was perfect.
This was the start of Filia’s fulltime involvement as cheese maker. She has done extensive learning online about cheese making and has had professional input from local experts who have advised her on the various techniques.
Today they are best known for their delicious double cream strained yoghurt and have expanded their range of cheeses to produce almost 20 types. They buy their milk from local farmers who are known to have quality milking herds.
Their cheese operation has grown exponentially in the past five years – the small converted workshop factory has become a modern slick operation with high standards of hygiene and well-researched production methods.
“We needed to modernise to increase our production yet, at the same time, we would not compromise on the hand-crafted process which make each of our products unique and artisanal,” said Filia.
“One key difference between a store-bought cheese and one produced in a small-scale cheesery is the quality of the ingredients, mainly the milk. Our farmers are hands-on with small herds. They know their cows well, most have names, and the cows are pastured in the beautiful Midlands climate. Good milk makes good cheese.
“The other big difference is we are hands on. We hand stir, we cheddar by hand, we cut and portion by hand. We even turn our ageing cheeses by hand.
“We age most of our cheeses naturally for well over six months so they have time for a depth of flavour to develop. Our yoghurt is as natural as they come (only milk and live yoghurt cultures) with nothing added to thicken or preserve it.
For this reason it does not have an extended shelf life – that is why we produce smaller quantities and keep it as fresh as possible.”
They make yoghurt, Greek-style feta cheese, traditional cheeses such as gouda and cheddar and, of course, halloumi
– a traditional favourite. Recently Filia has worked on a cheese known as black gold – a ball of cheese flavoured with garlic and dusted with black pepper.
The cheese matures for an extended period and is used by chefs for gourmet meals. They have been lucky to enjoy the support of local chefs and restaurants who appreciate their quality.
Currently they deliver their products to Johannesburg and Pretoria from the Midlands and including the North Coast. At one stage Dimitri was driving and doing the deliveries but, since they hired a driver, he is now hands on, making adjustments to the factory.
Iakovos (Dimitri’s son) is handling the marketing of the business after he and his wife Megan returned from a stint working in London.
He has been brainstorming the expansion and distribution. It was his idea to open the The Blue Cow
Deli – an outlet and coffee shop on the popular Midlands Meander route.
This step allowed them to sell their cheeses and products to the public and it was also a chance to embrace their Greek heritage and offer something unusual on the Midlands Meander.
“We want to give people a place they can come and relax and enjoy good food and a country atmosphere. We chose the traditional blue and white decor of Greece and we believe that we offer the simple things – good food, good company and good values,” he said.
Their venue has a play area for kids and also boasts a giant Jenga set for adults who also want to play. Their most popular feature (besides the food and cheese) is their peacock, who loves to show off his striking plumage.
The coffee shop offers breakfasts and lunches, but their main drawcard is the traditional Greek mezze platters. This is a selection of hand-made snacks, using olives, spinach and herbs to add flavour. They have planted olive trees and soon hope to use the olives.
Bursting with flavour, these snack platters are perfect for showcasing their cheeses and adding complementary flavours. They also use their popular yoghurt to make smoothies – adding fresh berries and honey.
Iakovos has also established a vegetable garden based on organic principles to supply the restaurant with greens. Rosemary does the taste testing and trains the staff on the cooking side; she also has had a lot to do with the recipes and menu plans.
She also helps with the books and accounts.
Rosemary said: “It’s wonderful to work in a family business because we all have different skills that complement each other. But the Greek temperament can cause creative differences. Luckily we all forgive and forget and get along.”
Part of their expansion has been to recruit and train local staff. One of their decisions was to use candidates from the local Future Farmers programme. Filia said: “We train them with skills they can use in the market and they earn as they learn. We are very impressed with their commitment.”
Finding time to relax is hard in a bustling small business but, in typical Greek style, they gather together for meals and their hospitable attitude can be felt in the way they treat customers as family.
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