Our History

The Hunter Belle Cheese factory was constructed and opened in Muswellbrook NSW in early 2004.

Hunter Belle Cheese received an establishment grant from the NSW Department of State and Regional Development through the Newcastle Structural Adjustment Fund.

High quality Brown Swiss cows' milk is used exclusively and sourced fresh from a local farm at Singleton. All the cheese is hand made using traditional methods. Hunter Belle Cheese is the only cheese producer in Australia exclusively using Brown Swiss cows' milk, a dairy breed developed in the Swiss Alps and used for cheesemaking.

Just three months after opening, Hunter Belle Cheese took out their first Gold Medal in the 2004 Australian Specialist Cheesemakers' Association Show held in July 2004 in Melbourne.

Hunter Belle Cheese Fetabelle was awarded a Gold Medal in the category of Fresh Curd - Textured of approximately 35 feta-style cheese entries from companies large and small around Australia.

Six months after opening, Hunter Belle Cheese achieved three more Gold Medals in the prestigious fromage du monde 2004 Awards and the Sydney Australian Specialist Cheesemakers' Association Show held in October 2004 in Sydney.

The inaugural fromage du monde show was Australia's first International Cheese Awards that were blind judged by the public. Over 1,400 people attended and 1,259 votes were received for classes that contained both international and Australian cheeses against one another.

Hunter Belle Cheese Fetabelle was awarded the Gold Medal in the category of Fresh Curd - Textured holding off many international entrants including the second placed imported Buffalo Mozzarella from Italy.

Just one week later, Hunter Belle Cheese was judged by a panel of industry experts in the Sydney Australian Specialty Cheesemakers’ Association Show.

Hunter Belle Cheese Fetabelle again won the Gold Medal in the Fresh Curd – Textured section, beating over thirty entries from Australian companies large and small. This Gold Medal made Fetabelle undefeated in three major cheese shows in 2004 after it won the Gold Medal in the Australian Specialty Cheesemakers’ Association Show in Melbourne.

In an exciting surprise, Hunter Belle Cheese Goldenbelle also won the Gold Medal in the Washed Rind Section of the Sydney ASCA Show. Goldenbelle is produced by washing the rind with a special solution that produces a distinct golden orange rind and a unique aroma and flavour.

In 2006 Hunter Belle Cheese has achieved more Gold Medals for Goldenbelle (Sydney Royal Show and Brisbane International Cheese Awards), and for the first time for Camembelle, (ASCA Show Sydney). 2006 also saw the creation of the first school-based traineeship in cheesemaking in NSW (Certificate II Food Processing (Dairy)) for young cheesemaker Clare Bailey.

2007 saw the release of the first hard cheeses Belleyere, that is based on a gruyere style and Cheddarbelle that is based on a cheddar style. The hard cheese vat was installed with assistance from the federal government’s Food Processing in Regional Australia Program.

2007 also saw Hunter Belle Cheese’s Fetabelle return to the winners’ circle winning its class at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

In 2008 Hunter Belle Cheese Camembelle won the Best White Mould Trophy at the Brisbane Cheese Awards. Hunter Belle Cheese Belleyere won Gold medals at the Brisbane International Cheese Awards and Australian Specialist CHeesemakers’ Show, Sydney. Fetabelle also won a gold medal at the ASCA Show, Sydney.

As part of her traineeship, Clare Bailey developed Yobelle: a range of natural yogurt products that were released in 2008 and have proved very successful.