Entrepreneurs acquire Swaledale Cheese

A group of three entrepreneurs have acquired the UK’s only producer of Swaledale Cheese from liquidators. Richard Darbishire, Bob Bigley and Bengt Odner bought the Richmond-based business in July 2019 and their first products are due to hit the shelves of both regional and national independent retailers and wholesalers in January 2020.

The origins of Swaledale Cheese are said to be traceable to the 11th century, when the cheese was made by Cistercian monks. When the monasteries were disbanded during the reign of Henry VIII, it’s said that local farmers carried on making the cheese and Swaledale Cheese has continued this tradition of cheesemaking, using the same recipe.

Director Richard Darbishire said, “Our intervention has saved this important UK cheese from extinction. We are confident that by aligning our capabilities with the growing demand for our products and further developing the skills of our workforce, we will be able to restore the company to its rightful prominent place in the UK cheese sector. The brand was previously available in Waitrose as well as in leading restaurants, independent retailers and wholesalers. We aim to restore these listings.

“All our milk comes locally from a single source and we are focusing on seeing that both our blue and natural cheeses are fully matured and ripened in our specially designed, on-site facilities to produce that unique Swaledale flavour.”