History of Fairview Cheese

Cyril and his wife Beryl had been on a trip to France and fell in love with the richly flavoured goats’ milk cheeses produced on a number of the wine farms that they visited. Upon returning to Paarl, they began investigating the possibility of starting South Africa’s first goats’ milk cheesery. After much investigation and a few fortunate coincidences, the first Saanen goats arrived at the farm in 1980. Cyril was farming with pigs at the time, and his understanding of livestock was not in question. However the skill of producing delicious goats cheese was not one that was easily learned, as his son Charles recounts:

“My father and I had an excellent book on cheese production, however it was all in French which neither of us understood! We tried many recipes and methods with very mixed results. Our greatest achievement in those first months was that we managed to tick off every cheese fault that the book specified. These included a hideous looking contamination called ‘hair of the cat’, which resulted in long grey hairs growing out of our cheeses.”

Fairview enlisted the assistance of Michel Agostinelli, a passionate Italian who had settled in South Africa after arriving as a POW during World War Two. Together with Charles (to whom Cyril had kindly passed the responsibility of the cheesery) Agostinelli began to develop the cheesery and the processes and disciplines involved. Cyril was soon satisfied that the quality of the Fairview cheeses was good enough to serve and they were offered along with wine tastings in the tasting room. The arrival of a large group of French engineers in Cape Town to work on a new power plant, added impetus to the cheesery as they quickly became fans and returned regularly during their stay. Goats’ milk cheese was a tough sell in South Africa in the 1980s as it was not a product that consumers were familiar with at all. But as time passed, both the size of the herd and the range of cheeses grew, with expansion to the cheesery taking place.

In 1995 the Vineyard Cheesery took a significant step forward thanks to two key events. Louis Lourens joined Fairview as head cheesemaker and Jersey cows’ milk cheese production was introduced.

Louis’ knowledge, passion and dedication quickly took the production to new levels of quality and his professional approach began to show in the systems and styles of cheese produced. Traditional recipe cream cheeses, Brie, Camembert and blue mould cheeses were added to the range and Fairview’s products began to garner accolades and awards. Roydon Camembert, the flagship product in the range, was awarded the Gold Medal at the World Cheese Awards no less than 5  times in 7 years, a performance that did not go down well with the French no doubt!

The Fresher Feta! Our delicious flat-packed Jersey cows’ milk feta. No mucky brine wasting space in your fridge or spilling when you try to open the tub!

Ingredients:

Pasteurized Jersey milk, selected lactic cultures, non-animal rennet, salt.

Wine Suggestions:

Fairview Sauvignon Blanc, La Capra Chenin Blanc

Possible Uses:

The perfect feta for a real Greek salad. Fairview feta is also perfect crumbled on pizza or included with a tapas style meal.

General info:

Size and shape: 100g or 200g flat pack
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

This Jersey cows’ milk Brie is mild and creamy, with an even, supple texture and characteristic savoury flavour. Our Ripe & Ready cheeses are produced to be ready to enjoy as soon as you purchase them. So don’t worry if you have left it to the last minute to stock up for your cheeseboard! Although it will continue to soften slightly as they mature, the body of this cheese will not ooze  like some traditional Brie.

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurized Jersey milk, selected lactic acid cultures, microbial non-animal derived rennet,  selected white mould cultures and salt.

Other information:

Shelf life: Approximately 4 to 5 weeks from day of packing
Size and shape: 125g wedge
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

Wine recommendation:

Fairview Darling Chenin Blanc

Did you know?

Our Ripe and Ready Brie and Camembert packaging was awarded a Gold Award at the DBAs in London. These are one of the most prestigious award events in the design industry and measure the effectiveness of packaging design. This was the first Gold that had ever been won by South Africa. The packaging was developed by Coley Porter Bell with designer Victoria Peter.

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 1350kJ
Protein 18.0g
Carbohydrates 0.1g
Total fat 27.0g
Dietary Fibre 0.0g
Sodium 590mg

This Jersey cows’ milk Camembert is mild and creamy, with an even, supple texture and characteristic savoury flavour. Our Ripe & Ready cheeses are produced to be ready to enjoy as soon as you purchase them. So don’t worry if you have left it to the last minute to stock up for your cheeseboard! Although it will continue to soften slightly as they mature, the body of this cheese will not ooze  like some traditional Camembert, such as our Roydon.

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurized Jersey milk, selected lactic acid cultures, microbial non-animal derived rennet,  selected white mould cultures and salt.

Other information:

Shelf life: Approximately 4 to 5 weeks from day of packing.
Size and shape: 125g round
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

Wine recommendation:

Fairview Darling Chenin Blanc or Fairview Viognier

Did you know?

Our Ripe and Ready Brie and Camembert packaging was awarded a Gold Award at the DBAs in London. These are one of the most prestigious award events in the design industry and measure the effectiveness of packaging design. This was the first Gold that had ever been won by South Africa. The packaging was developed by Coley Porter Bell with designer Victoria Peter.

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 1471kJ
Protein 19.8g
Carbohydrates 1.56g
Total fat 36.4g
Dietary Fibre 0.0g
Sodium 353mg

This Jersey cows’ milk camembert is mild and creamy, with an even, supple texture and characteristic savoury flavour. During production our cheesemakers remove extra milk fats, resulting in a lower fat cheese but still retaining the characteristic Camembert flavour. Our Ripe & Ready cheeses are produced to be ready to enjoy as soon as you purchase them. So don’t worry if you have left it to the last minute to stock up for your cheeseboard!

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurized Jersey milk, selected lactic acid cultures, microbial non-animal derived rennet,  selected white mould cultures and salt.

Other information:

Shelf life: Approximately 4 to 5 weeks from day of packing
Size and shape: 125g round
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

Wine recommendation:

Fairview Darling Chenin Blanc or La Capra Viognier

Did you know?

Our Ripe and Ready Brie and Camembert packaging was awarded a Gold Award at the DBAs in London. These are one of the most prestigious award events in the design industry and measure the effectiveness of packaging design. This was the first Gold that had ever been won by South Africa. The packaging was developed by Coley Porter Bell with designer Victoria Peter.

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 857J
Protein 22.2g
Carbohydrates 0.2g
Total fat 12.9g

• of which mono unsaturated fatty acids 3.2g
• of which poly unsaturated fatty acids 0.4g
• of which saturated fatty acids 9.3g
• of which trans fatty acids – trace

Cholesterol 61mg
Sodium 694mg

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurized full cream Jersey cows’ milk, selected lactic cultures, non-animal microbial rennet, selected white mould cultures and salt.

General information:

Shelf life: Approximately 4 to 5 weeks from day of packing
Size and shape: 500g round
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

Wine recommendation:

Fairview Oom Pagel Semillon or La Capra Chenin Blanc

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 1350kJ
Protein 18.0g
Carbohydrates 0.1g
Total fat 27.0g
Dietary Fibre 0.0g
Sodium 590mg

Our flagship cheese, Roydon Camembert is crafted using a secret, traditional recipe and is named in honour of one of Fairview’s earlier cheesemakers. It is produced in the traditional French method, with a dash of our goats’ milk to give farmhouse flavour and characteristics. Roydon Camembert ripens from the outside towards the center and should be enjoyed in the ten days preceeding its best before date for optimum flavour.

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurized Jersey cows’ milk and cream, pasteurised goats’ milk, selected lactic cultures, non-animal microbial rennet, selected white mould cultures and salt.

General Information:

Shelf life: Approximately 4 to 5 weeks from day of packing
Size and shape: 125g and 250g rounds
Great for cheeseboards and cooking
Flavour will intensify with ripening
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

Wine suggestions:

Fairview La Beryl Blanc or Fairview Oom Pagel Semillon

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 1656kJ
Protein 15.5g
Carbohydrates 2.8g
Total fat 36.4g
Dietary Fibre 0.0g
Sodium 530mg

A fusion of two classic cheese making styles. Bleu en Blanc has the outer shell of a handcrafted Camembert infused with marbled blue mould veins, providing a subtle blue flavour from within. This is a fantastic table cheese, served with fresh Goatshed baguette, a crisp summer salad and extra virgin olive oil.

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurised Jersey cows’ milk and cream, selected lactic cultures, white mould cultures, blue mould cultures, non animal rennet and salt.

General information:

Shelf life: Approximately 5 weeks from day of packing
Size and shape: 125g round
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

Wine recommendations:

Fairview Oom Pagel Semillon or Fairview Caldera

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 1648kJ
Protein 16.0g
Carbohydrates 1.7g
Total fat 36.0g
Dietary Fibre 0.0g
Sodium 470mg

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurized Jersey cows’ milk, selected lactic cultures, non-animal rennet, salt and black pepper.

General information:

Shelf life: 6 weeks from day of production
Size and shape: 100g log
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 1114kJ
Protein 14.9g
Carbohydrates 4.3g
Total fat 16.6g

• of which mono unsaturated fatty acids 4.04g
• of which poly unsaturated fatty acids 0.57g
• of which saturated fatty acids 10.97g
• of which trans fatty acids 0.04g

Dietary Fibre 0.0g
Sodium 185mg

Basic ingredients:

Pasteurized Jersey cows’ milk, selected lactic cultures, non-animal rennet, salt and chakalaka spice.

General information:

Shelf life: 6 weeks from day of production
Size and shape: 100g log
Certified Kosher
Certified Halaal
Suitable for vegetarians

Possible Uses:

Grilled lamb chops on roasted red pepper puree with cream cheese on top.

Nutritional information per 100g:

Energy 925kJ
Protein 13.7g
Carbohydrates 2.4g
Total fat 17.7g

• of which mono unsaturated fatty acids 4.0g
• of which poly unsaturated fatty acids 0.7g
• of which saturated fatty acids 13.1g
• of which trans fatty acids – trace

Cholesterol 4.6mg
Dietary Fibre 0.0g
Sodium 1436mg