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.

Béal Organic Cheese
Country of originIreland
RegionCounty Kerry
TownListowel
Source of milkCows

History

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Kate Carmody began making cheese in 1987, after her mother presented her with a gift consisting of a cheese press and a book on making cheese. In 1997, she began the process of converting to organic production. She achieved full organic status in 2000, becoming the first organically produced Irish Cheddar cheese.[1][2]

In 2010, Carmody appeared on Dragons' Den in Ireland[3] where she secured an investment of €50,000.[4]

Products

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There are three products in the Béal Organic Cheese range, although the availability of the cheese is subject to seasonal availability:[5]

  • Béal Mild Organic Irish Cheddar is made from pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet.
  • Béal Handmade Mature Organic Cheddar is made from pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet.
  • Béal Raw Milk Mature Organic Cheddar is made from raw unpasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet, and takes up to nine months to fully mature.

Awards

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  • 2009: Silver, World Cheese Awards[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Beal Organic Cheese - Members - CAIS - The Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers Association". Irishcheese.ie. Archived from the original on 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  2. ^ "Beal Organic Cheese | Organic Cheese | Beale Lodge Organic Farm | Kate Carmody | Listowel Co Kerry". Goodfoodireland.ie. Archived from the original on 2010-12-20. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  3. ^ "Cheese-maker set to take on the Dragons". independent. 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  4. ^ Fitzgerald, Kyran (2013-01-26). "Niall is down but dressed for another success". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  5. ^ a b Glynn Anderson; John McLaughlin (August 2011). Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland: A Celebration. The Collins Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-84889-121-0. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
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