Oamaru artisan cheese maker Whitestone has won the Westpac-Otago Chamber of Commerce Supreme Business Award at the OBiz event in Dunedin. The company also won the manufacturing and primary category at the awards, which are held every two years.

In 1987 Whitestone was producing one type of cheese in a converted garage – now the company is producing more than 20 award-winning varieties for domestic and international markets.

Whitestone chief executive Simon Berry says the win is a significant achievement for the company, which was founded by Simon’s father and livestock farmer Bob Berry as a diversification during the 1980s rural downturn.

“The award cements us as an established, skilled and innovative organisation and shows that we are at the forefront of what is a high-value sector,” says Simon. “It is also great to be recognised as a community leader in the wider Otago region.”

The family-owned and operated company continues to grow and diversify while utilising traditional cheese making methods using premium grass-fed milk from North Otago.

“We take pride in converting grass-fed milk into world-class cheeses using traditional artisan open vat techniques – the process is as natural as the ingredients,” says Simon. “The latest packing and logistics technology is then adopted to deliver the cheese in premium condition to our customers.”

Product innovation has been a key feature of the business, with the launch of New Zealand’s first beer cheese in conjunction with Oamaru-based Scott’s Brewery. ‘Whitestone Pale Ale Cheese’ hit supermarket shelves on November 1.

During the next few months Whitestone is taking to the roads to promote its range of artisan cheeses using a distinctive 1961 Volkswagen Kombi Cheese Truck named ‘Daisy the Cheese Dub’.

The Berrys are a fourth-generation Otago farming family. Simon Berry joined the business in 2003 and the family farm was sold to concentrate on growing the Whitestone Cheese enterprise.

Whitestone’s purpose-built factory, commissioned in 1998, now employs more than 50 staff. The company exports to Australia, Fiji, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Qatar and the United States.