Cheesemaker Paul Wilson of Nimbin Valley Dairy believes that the less processed milk and dairy products are, the better they taste and the better they are for your health.
LOW fat, no fat, high cal, added Omega 3s – choosing a carton of milk at the supermarket has never been more bewildering.
But while choice is greater than it’s ever been, the quality of the milk we’re drinking leaves a lot to be desired, says dairy farmer and cheese maker, Paul Wilson of Nimbin Valley Dairy.
Paul, who runs a herd of cows and goats with partner Kerry, and sells milk, cheese and other dairy products at farmers markets including Mullumbimby and New Brighton, says the high levels of processing commercial milk goes through such as pasteurisation, homogenisation and ultra-filtration, rob it of much of it goodness.
“One of the really good things about milk is all the natural microflora that comes with it,” said Paul, “it’s not just fat and protein. The more it’s processed the more of that stuff you lose.”
He says highly processed versions of dairy products like milk and cheese have an extended shelf life, but the trade off is flavour and health benefits.
At their dairy on the outskirts on Nimbin, Paul and Kerry try to keep their milk as close to its natural state as possible, selling their goat milk raw, and their cow milk pasteurised (because it’s the law), but unhomogenised.
The aim is to supply top quality milk for customers, and to have the best raw product from which to create their range of dairy products such as Kefir and yoghurt, and their range of hard and soft cow and goat milk cheeses, which include brie, camembert, haloumi and fetta.
They also believe that what goes into the animal comes out in the milk, which is why they raise their animals organically, allowing them to roam freely and graze on fresh pasture free from antibiotics, hormones or or chemicals.
Paul says the extra effort makes a big difference to the milk, so much so that even people who normally have an intolerance to milk can drink it.
“We have a lot of people who can drink our milk but can’t drink supermarket milk,” he said.
