Dick and Helene Willems began making cheese on their small west Cork farm in 1979, at a time when cheese production in Ireland was very rare.

Today, their son Dicky continues the family tradition at Coolea Farmhouse Cheese, where Dutch cheesemaking methods and locally sourced milk are at the heart of the business. The Dunnes Stores Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Coolea Mature brings a taste of this family business to customers across Ireland.

The story began when Dick and Helene moved from the Netherlands to Ireland in 1978, eventually settling on a farm in the mountains near Macroom.

“We moved to Ireland in 1978. First of all, we kind of moved around and then we bought the farm at the end of 1979. We’ve been here ever since, really,” Dicky tells Irish Country Living.

Although they embraced their new surroundings, there was one thing they missed from home; Dutch cheese.

“My parents were missing the cheeses they used to have in Holland. All they could really get here at the time was cheddar and white cheese.”

Helene ordered a small cheesemaking kit from Holland and began experimenting in the family kitchen.

“She started making these small cheeses, and they turned out really, really nice. People liked them and, before we knew it, we were selling them. So it became a little business.”

The business quickly gained recognition, and growing demand led to the construction of a purpose-built cheese plant four years later.

Dicky joined the family enterprise in 1991, becoming head cheesemaker in 1993, although his introduction to the craft had come earlier under rather unusual circumstances.

When his mother was hospitalised for six weeks with a burst appendix she found an ingenious way to ensure production continued.

“She made a tape recording of the process in the hospital, and that way I was able to make cheese,” he recalls.

More than three decades later, Dicky still starts his working day at 5.30am.

“I get up at half five in the morning, just to get a few jobs done before I start pasteurising. I do about half an hour’s work, otherwise it all catches up with me.”

Pasteurising takes approximately an hour, followed by two to two-and-a-half hours of cheesemaking. By around 11am, his colleagues take over moulding and pressing the cheeses, while Dicky spreads the whey and collects milk for the following day.

Each cheese is handmade on the Willems family’s mountain farm using fresh, pasteurised cow’s milk and a traditional Dutch Gouda recipe. The curds are washed, pressed and brined before being left to mature for at least two months.

The milk comes from local dairy farmer Daniel Lynch, whose predominantly Holstein Friesian herd grazes on the surrounding countryside. Dicky believes the landscape contributes to Coolea’s distinctive flavour.

“It’s very mountainy land around here and it wouldn’t be reseeded very frequently, so you get a lot of the natural herbs and things growing through the grass that the cows eat. That probably helps the flavours of the cheese.”

Even the water used in production comes from deep beneath the farm.

“We use water from 100 metres down. It’s all well water, which we use for the houses as well, and it’s really, really high-quality.”

Coolea’s range includes plain, matured, extra matured and cumin seed varieties. Younger cheeses are mild, buttery and creamy, while longer maturation develops a firmer texture and a richer, sweeter flavour, with notes of caramel and butterscotch.

The family’s dedication has earned them numerous accolades, including Supreme Champion at the British Cheese Awards in 2000 and Best Mature Gouda at the World Cheese Awards in 2008.

For Dicky, however, the pleasure of cheese is also in how it is enjoyed. Mature Coolea pairs well with a full-bodied red wine, while he has an interesting suggestion for serving it alongside stronger cheeses.

“If you have a cheeseboard, and you have a little bit of Coolea in between the stronger cheeses, it just cleanses your mouth ready for the next bit of cheese you’re going to eat.”

He suspects its sweetness might explain the effect.

“I don’t know why that works. I think it’s the sweetness or something. Maybe it’s just the milk.”

With almost five decades of family cheesemaking behind Coolea, a third generation may eventually join the business. Both of Dicky’s daughter Shauna (31)and son Rian (27) have expressed an interest in returning, although they are currently pursuing careers elsewhere.

Their arrival would require expansion, something Dicky is conscious of balancing with his commitment to his existing employees, one of whom has worked alongside him for 30 years.

“If they do come home, we’d have to expand the business,” he says. “And I’d like to have jobs for the two lads afterwards as well.”

Dunnes Stores Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Coolea Mature (160g) is priced at €5.49