Cookstown hub for Ireland’s tastiest cheddar cheese

Famed for its successful Dromona cheddar, which is produced at Dale Farm’s Dunmanbridge factory largely with milk sourced from local farms, was named by a panel of international expert judges in Britain as the Best Cheddar Cheese in Ireland, earning Northern Ireland’s biggest farmers’ co-operative the prestigious Kerrygold trophy.

Dromona cheddar also gained the Arla Foods Trophy, a major British award, as the Champion Overseas Block Cheddar. Northern Ireland’s leading cheese producer and exporter, in addition, collected seven medals, including three golds for its creamy Dromona branded cheddar cheeses.

Headquartered in Belfast, Dale Farm was among the most successful cheese producers at the influential International Cheese and Dairy Awards, one of the biggest and most closely watched competitions by retailers in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and from further afield. Dale Farm is keen to grow export sales for its cheddars.

Described as ‘The World’s leading platform to champion world class producers’, the International Cheese and Dairy Awards (ICDA), which have been held at the Staffordshire Show Ground in Stafford since 2022, attracted over 5,000 entries from across the world and covered every variety of cheese and other dairy products.

Success at the show provides high profile recognition from independents, retailers and food service companies throughout the world. It supports winners through its marketing and social campaign to increase consumer awareness and ultimately sales.

Dale Farm, which is owned by 1,300 dairy farmers across Northern Ireland, England and Scotland, recently announced a £70 million investment in its cheddar processing plant at Dunmanbridge, one of the biggest-ever investments in the local food industry.

The successful co-operative produces milk, butter, ice cream, ice lollies and whey protein. The company also produce Mullin’s ice cream in Kilrea, County Derry.

Dromona is among Ireland’s most awarded producers of cheddar cheese, the UK biggest selling cheese variety.