Our Products

We make a range of exceptionally good fresh and aged cheese using traditional methods blended with modern techniques. We believe that the best cheese is created by working with nature rather than by completely controlling it. Working with the ecosystem, the local fauna in Kaikoura play a big part in making our products as unique as they are. While it is a given that we use only the very best ingredients, our artisan cheeses have a character of their own.  

Our passion is best seen at our factory in Kaikoura, located at 45 West End, Central Kaikoura. Sampling our cheeses, whether you are a visitor or a seasoned customer is a must. We believe every batch that we make is unique and the only way to know it is by having a taste.

Goat’s Cheeses

Tenara is a soft goat’s cheese named after a small conical shaped mountain near to Kaikoura. It has a soft fudgy interior with very subtle flavours of walnut and cinnamon. This cheese has a beautiful dark ash coating on a toad skin rind with flavours of the native flora.

Tenara is matured for at least 14 days, but when ripened longer, both the pate and the rind develop a stronger character and a more intense flavour profile.

In 2017 Tenara was entered into the New Zealand cheese awards where it scored 98.5/100 winning its class category.

Available from the beginning of September until early April.

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Candy Goddess is a goat’s milk cheese washed with Sauvignon Blanc syrup and matured for a minimum of three months. The washing gives the cheese a sweet candy-like profile similar to malolactic fermentation in wine making. The flavour of the pate is very subtle, with notes of cinnamon, watermelon, porcini mushroom and fresh spring grass. Candy Goddess is a good introduction to goat cheeses and ideal for someone preferring more delicate aromas.

Candy Goddess can be built into simple yet amazing salads with watercress, melon, cucumber and walnut and served with Sauvignon Blanc or dry Riesling.

 Availability : all year round 

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Fluffy Clouds, a hand whipped goat’s cheese curd, is our lightest cheese. It has a lovely silky and fluffy texture and light acidic flavour with elements of citrus and a very subtle hint of cinnamon. Fluffy Clouds goes excellent as a bread spread as well as an ingredient for cooking or baking. We recommend pairing it with asparagus, beetroot, venison, lamb, honey, figs or blueberries to name a few.

In 2017 Fluffy Clouds was entered into the New Zealand cheese awards where it scored 97/100 gold medal.

Availability: Early September until the end of February.

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The Nordic Squeaky Cheese was inspired by the Cheese ‘Leipäjuusto’ (bread cheese) from Finland. We came up with our own squeaky version of the nordic classic. The Nordic Squeaky Cheese from our seaside creamery is made with fresh goat's milk, formed in round hoops and slightly weighted. After the cheese has set, it is baked in a very hot oven to enhance the squeak, firm the texture and most of all to give the surface it’s typical brown colour. This milky, salty and neutral cheese can be served cold or hot and suits both savoury dishes and desserts. It is fantastic with jams, berries, fruits, served on a salad  or used instead of Halloumi.

 Availability: From September until March

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Jersey Cow’s Cheeses

The Harnett is a French inspired soft Jersey cow’s cheese, often discussed as New Zealand’s Epoisses. The creamy rich interior of a young Harnett comes with flavours of popcorn, cauliflower and a hint of oyster, but as the cheese matures the flavour profile gains more character, leaning towards bacon and farmyard. 

The rind, which thickens as the cheese matures, is wiped with a lite brine solution to benefit from influence of the local flora. This creamy cheese is ideally paired with local produce, such as peaches or strawberries, nuts, breads and honeys.

The Harnett won the Gold medal and scored 97/100 at the NZ Cheese Association Awards 2015.

Available from the beginning of September until the end of June.

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Born from the chaos of the Kaikoura earthquake, Love & Fury breaks all the rules. The rich interior of this soft Jersey cow’s cheese comes with a mild sweet and sour taste and a crumbly yet creamy texture. The wild toad skin rind has a hint of bitterness influenced by the local seaside flora. 

This cheese is matured for at least 14 days. When young it has a lovely clean and mild flavour but when let to ripen longer it develops a stronger character and more fury. 

Availability: From early September until the end of June

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The Laugesen is a semi-hard Jersey cow cheese washed in local Emporium beer and matured in spent grain. It has a creamy interior, with flavours of buttery popcorn and a slightly sour note when young, which gradually dissipates when maturing. This cheese reflects perfectly the local environment, as it catches the nearby sea breeze creating a pleasant mild salinity.

The wash and the maturing allow the cheese to develop a crusty rind with an earthy bread-like flavour balancing the salty creaminess of the pate.

The Laugesen won the Gold in the Outstanding New Zealand Producers Awards 2020. The judges comments were: “Interesting rind and appearance. Appealing texture. Moreish. Funky look is a departure from the norm.”

Availability: All year round

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1. (noun) survivor.

Te Morehu, is a washed semi-hard Jersey cow’s milk cheese that is matured for at least 3 months. The washing of the rind attracts the native flora giving the cheese a nutty profile and a smell and flavour of smoked bacon or earth. The added fenugreek seeds give the pate a walnut and maple syrup flavour, which is balanced by the salinity and the smooth buttery interior of the cheese.

As This cheese has exceptional melting qualities, thus it is very good alternative to a Raclette.

Te Morehu Fenugreek is ideally paired with dates, cured meats, pickles and tomato and enjoyed alongside Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or any beverage with oak, such as whisky or matured beer.

Availability : all year round

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Sheep’s Cheeses

Mahi - fermented, to purify (Maori) - is a hard sheep’s cheese matured for three to six months. It has a milky and creamy yet clean taste that comes with subtle nuances of yeast and farmyard.

Mahi has a natural brine washed rind which starts off thin but thickens as the cheese ripens. The texture is quite firm, thus it can be easily sliced. If you haven’t tried sheep cheese before this approachable cheese is a fantastic place to start.

Availability: Early March until the end of October

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The Botanist is a soft sheep’s cheese coated with chili, rosemary, juniper berries and fennel, inspired by a Corsican spice mixture. The juniper berries give the Botanist an interesting gin flavour, therefore it has even been referred to as the gin cheese.

The pate of this fairly small cheese has a creamy yet clean taste and a delightfully soft texture.

 Availability : November until the end of January

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Other Artisan Products

A locally produced blue borage honey infused with fresh chili.

Availability : all year round

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Our beautiful hand-made Jersey cow crème fraîche gives a perfect finish to almost any sweet or savoury dish. Dollop on a vegetable soup to add a slightly sour note or try with vanilla, orange liqueur and fresh fruit of the season like orange and peach.

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How to order

To place an order simply click on the website order button below. Alternatively you can send us an email at info@kaikouracheese.co.nz listing the products and quantities you wish to order as well as your full name, address and contact number. After receiving your order, we will send you an invoice via email and dispatch the order once the payment is received.

Freight/Shipping:

1. $10.00 freight NZ only.
   Additional $5.50 for rural

2. Free delivery in Kaikoura

3. Free delivery for orders over $85.00