Editorial note: All information in this article is based on our June 2025 visit, as part of a larger article on Irish Cheese to be later featured in the Winter 2026 issue of Culture: The Word on Cheese Magazine. Please fact-check all details, figures, technical descriptions, and current business information directly with the cheesemaker before sharing or publishing.
From a farmhouse kitchen in County Tipperary to cheese counters around the world, Cashel Blue is a story of curiosity, family, and the courage to make something Ireland didn't yet know it wanted.
What If We Made a Blue Cheese?
When Jane and Louis Grubb began making cheese in County Tipperary, Ireland, in the early 1980s, they weren't following a centuries-old tradition. They were building something new.
Ireland had a long history of dairy farming, but farmhouse blue cheese wasn't part of its food culture. In fact, the question at the heart of Jane's experiment was a rather obvious one: if the Irish weren't eating blue cheese, why make it?
Fortunately for cheese lovers everywhere, the Grubbs decided to find out.
Jane began experimenting with cheesemaking on the family farm, initially working on a small scale. In 1984, Cashel Blue became Ireland's first farmhouse blue cheese. What began as an experiment grew into a defining part of Ireland's modern artisan cheese movement, helping introduce Irish consumers to a style of cheese that was once largely unfamiliar.
More than four decades later, we visited Beechmount Farm in County Tipperary to see how that original idea has grown—and to discover how the family continues to balance tradition with innovation.
A New Generation, a New Chapter
The story of Cashel Blue is also a story of generations learning from one another.
Jane and Louis built the business from the ground up, first making cheese in the farmhouse before gradually expanding into dedicated production spaces. Louis's early ingenuity was wonderfully practical. When Jane needed cheese molds, he went to the hardware store, bought water pipes, and cut holes in them to make forms in two different sizes. Those early experiments helped establish the distinctive sizes of Cashel Blue we know today.
In 2004, their daughter Sarah and her husband Sergio joined the family business. The couple had been considering launching their own food distribution business, but instead chose to bring their energy and expertise back to the family farm. They focused on helping build the business and developing a new, purpose-built cheesemaking facility.
It was a fascinating combination of new energy and old experience: the accumulated wisdom of people who had made cheese for decades alongside a new generation ready to invest, innovate, and grow.
Louie remained an active part of the operation, contributing his engineering instincts and practical creativity. From designing equipment such as cheese piercers and turners to developing the ripening racks used for the cheeses, his influence could be seen throughout the facility.
The family has continued to develop its operation without losing sight of the craft at its center. Their story is a reminder that a successful family business doesn't have to choose between honoring the past and preparing for the future.
From Pasture to Cheesemaking Room
Our visit gave us the best of both worlds. We toured the cheesemaking facility, walked out into the pastures to visit the grazing cows—even as a little Irish drizzle settled in—and then enjoyed lunch in the family's old farmhouse.
It was a lovely reminder that, for all the equipment and technical knowledge involved in making cheese at this scale, the story still begins with the land and the animals.
The farm's temperate Irish climate allows the cows to spend much of their time outdoors, grazing on pasture. The family values this approach not only for animal welfare but also for its relationship with the land. Pasture management matters: grazing too intensively can compromise grass growth in the following season, while thoughtful management helps maintain the fields for years to come.
The herd includes Friesian and Jersey crossbred cows. During our visit, we learned that the milk supply was drawn from the family's own herd and neighboring farms, with outside suppliers located within approximately 15 miles of the dairy. At the time, the family reported sourcing around 40% of its milk from nearby farms.
That local network allows the cheesemakers to maintain close relationships with their suppliers while keeping the milk's journey to the dairy relatively short.
Of course, farming is never as simple as letting the cows out and waiting for good milk. Weather, grass growth, and seasonal conditions all influence the milk that arrives at the dairy. As cheesemakers know, those changes can show up in the vat and ultimately in the cheese.
The family also explained why they pasteurize their milk. Ireland's landscape includes wildlife such as badgers, which can carry bovine tuberculosis. Given the local farming environment and the requirements of their production, the family believes pasteurization is the appropriate approach for its cheeses.
Their philosophy is that good pasteurization should be deliberate and controlled, preserving the milk's useful characteristics while managing food safety. Pasteurization isn't simply a switch to flip; how it is performed matters to the quality of the final cheese.
For Cashel, caring for the milk means understanding the environment it comes from, the risks associated with it, and every step between the farm and the finished wheel.
The Art Is in the Details
Watching cheesemaking is a good way to appreciate how much skill hides inside a seemingly simple process.
During our visit, we learned that Cashel's production was organized around seven vats, with a single vat capable of yielding approximately 180 wheels of Cashel Blue. Each wheel represents roughly four gallons of milk—a striking reminder of how much milk, labor, and attention goes into every finished cheese.
The process begins with milk that is carefully pasteurized before starter cultures, blue mold, and microbial rennet are added. As the milk coagulates, the team cuts the delicate curd to release whey, stirring it gently as it firms.
At Cashel, protecting the curd's texture is central to the process. Cut it too aggressively, stir it too much, or allow too much residual whey to remain, and the finished cheese can be affected. Too much retained whey can contribute to bitterness, so the cheesemakers pay close attention to the curd's development.
The curd is cut after it has set, then gently stirred and handled before being transferred to molds. Getting the curds into the molds promptly helps them knit together properly as the remaining whey drains away.
Even the tools reflect that attention to detail. A traditional cheesemaker's harp or knife can be used to cut curd, but Cashel uses fine wires to work with its particularly delicate curd. The team has also developed and adapted equipment to suit the needs of its own process.
Louie's designs include a piercer and turner, as well as ripening racks tailored to the cheeses. The family has also built relationships with equipment suppliers, adapting machinery to its requirements rather than simply accepting whatever is commercially available.
And despite the availability of automation, the cheesemaking team prefers to perform important parts of the process by hand. The ability to see, feel, and respond to the curd is part of what makes the cheese distinctive.
As we watched the team work, one theme kept emerging: so much of cheesemaking is about creating and safeguarding texture. Every decision—from cutting the curd to handling it in the molds—affects the final result.
Salt, Time, and the Right Kind of Blue
Once the curds are molded and drained, the cheeses are salted and prepared for maturation.
Cashel uses a brine bath for its blue cheese, a method the team prefers to dry salting. During our visit, we discussed the importance of managing salt levels, with the team's target described as approximately 2% salt. The brining process is carefully controlled because salt influences not only flavor but also moisture, microbial activity, and the way the cheese matures.
Cheesemakers can be quite particular about their brine, and for good reason. Too little salt can upset the balance of the cheese, while too much can overwhelm its flavor and affect its development.
After brining, the wheels are pierced to allow oxygen into the interior, encouraging the blue mold to grow through the cheese. As the cheese matures, enzymes break down fats and proteins, producing the creamy texture and evolving flavors that make blue cheese so compelling.
But not every wheel follows precisely the same path.
During our visit, the team explained how it grades its cheeses as they mature. Each vat is assessed for quality and readiness, with the aim of releasing the cheese when it is at its best rather than simply when it reaches a certain age.
Our notes from the visit indicate that most cheeses are graded twice, although certain export batches may be graded only once early in their development because they need to leave the dairy before they become too mature. That is a useful reminder that maturation doesn't happen in isolation: the cheesemaker must consider the cheese's destination and the time it will spend in transit.
Even the foil wrapper plays a role. We learned that foil thickness is considered part of the recipe because the wrapping influences the environment around the cheese as it continues to mature.
From the brine to the piercing to the foil, there are no throwaway details. Each contributes to the final character of the cheese.
A Blue Cheese with Its Own Personality
Not all blue cheeses are created to deliver the same experience. Some are assertive and piquant; others are dense, salty, or crumbly. Cashel Blue takes a more rounded approach.
When young, it has a soft, velvety texture and a fresh, delicate character. As it matures, the flavor develops into something richer and more savory, with gentle saltiness, subtle spice, and a creamy finish.
During our visit, tasting curd straight from the vat offered a fascinating glimpse into how the finished cheese begins. At that early stage, the curd's acidity, sweetness, and texture give the cheesemakers clues about what is happening in the milk and how the batch is developing.
We also discussed how the milk changes throughout the year. The cows' diet, the condition of the grass, and the weather can influence milk composition and the character of the curd. The cheesemakers must respond to those changes while maintaining the style and consistency customers expect.
That balance between natural variation and technical control is one of the great challenges of farmhouse cheesemaking. The goal isn't to pretend that every vat is identical; it's to understand each batch well enough to guide it toward the desired result.
For a cheesemonger, that commitment to tasting and grading is especially meaningful. The work doesn't stop when a wheel leaves the vat. It continues until the cheese is ready to be enjoyed.
More Than One Kind of Blue
The Cashel family hasn't stopped innovating with its original cheese.
Alongside Cashel Blue, the business produces Crozier Blue, a sheep's milk blue cheese, and Organic Cashel Blue. Both are made seasonally, reflecting the different milk supplies and conditions needed for their production.
Sheep's milk brings a different composition and character to cheesemaking, producing a distinctive blue cheese with its own texture and flavor. During our visit, we learned that Ireland has a relatively small population of milking sheep, with most sheep farming focused on meat rather than dairy. Crozier Blue is therefore an especially interesting expression of what Irish cheesemaking can do with a less common local milk source.
Seasonality also affects production. Our notes indicate that Crozier Blue and Organic Cashel Blue are made during particular periods of the year, with cooler conditions helping slow microbial activity during certain stages of maturation. That doesn't mean the cheese is frozen; rather, cooler air temperatures can slow its development.
The organic cheese also comes from a separate herd and follows its own seasonal production cycle.
These cheeses show that the family continues to ask the same question that inspired Jane's original experiments: what else might be possible when you understand your milk, your land, and your craft?
Building a More Sustainable Dairy
One of the most encouraging parts of our visit was learning about the family's efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of the dairy.
At the time of our June 2025 visit, the facility had approximately 550 solar panels on its roof. The family estimated that solar power was supplying around 75% of the operation's energy needs, with carbon neutrality a goal they hoped to achieve the following year.
The dairy was also working to reduce water consumption. We learned about a system designed to recover water from refrigeration equipment and reuse it within the operation, including as part of the process for gradually warming incoming milk. The intention is to make better use of available energy and water rather than continually drawing on fresh resources.
Whey and other by-products are also put to use. Whey from the vats goes to a local pig farm, while material collected from the production floor is incorporated into the farm's waste-management and nutrient-recovery systems. Water treatment helps the business manage its wastewater, with the broader goal of preventing contaminated water from entering local streams.
These projects are practical rather than flashy. They reflect the same approach that runs through the cheese itself: understand the process, pay attention to the details, and keep looking for ways to do things better.
The family's investment in land has followed a similar philosophy. As we discussed during the visit, Louis had a habit of reinvesting in the farm, including purchasing additional land over time. That long-term thinking supports the business's connection to its surroundings and its ability to plan for future generations.
Caring for the People Behind the Cheese
There is another important part of sustainability that doesn't always get enough attention: the people doing the work.
Cheesemaking is physically demanding. The team works with heavy equipment, wet floors, repetitive tasks, and machinery that can be noisy. While automation can improve efficiency, it also raises questions about the balance between productivity and the health of the people operating the equipment.
At Cashel, we saw a team of five working in the cheesemaking room, bringing together Irish, Polish, and French experience—a reflection of the international workforce found in many Irish food businesses.
The family described a conscious decision to organize working hours around the lives of its employees. Our notes indicate that the cheesemaking team typically worked from around 5 a.m. until 1 p.m., allowing staff to get home earlier in the afternoon and be available when their children finished school.
That arrangement may not always be the most efficient option in the short term. But the family sees value in creating a workplace where people can stay, build skills, and develop trust over time.
It is a reminder that good cheese depends on more than equipment and ingredients. It depends on people who understand the process, take pride in their work, and are supported well enough to keep doing it.
For a family business planning across generations, that kind of stability matters.
From Ireland to the World—and Back Again
When Cashel Blue first appeared, blue cheese was unfamiliar to many Irish consumers. The family had to do more than make a good cheese; they had to help people understand why they might want to eat it.
Chefs and specialty cheesemongers played an important role in that story, introducing customers to a new style of cheese and showing them how to use it. Early export relationships helped Cashel find an audience beyond Ireland, too.
During our visit, the family described a remarkable shift in its sales mix. The business had once exported approximately 70% of its production, but by the time of our visit, the balance had reversed, with domestic sales accounting for the larger share.
For a cheese that began in a country where blue cheese was not widely eaten, that change is extraordinary. It suggests that Cashel has become part of the very food culture it once helped introduce.
Today, Cashel Blue is one of Ireland's best-known farmhouse cheeses, earning recognition at home and internationally. Its success helped demonstrate that Ireland could produce distinctive, world-class specialty cheeses of its own.
The business has grown considerably, with multiple ripening rooms and a substantial inventory of cheese at different stages of maturation. During our visit, we were told that approximately 42,300 wheels were in stock across four holding rooms, representing cheese from four herds and around 600 cows. At roughly four gallons of milk per wheel, those figures illustrate the remarkable scale of the operation.
Yet the principle remains the same as it was when Jane began experimenting: the family wants to make cheese worth eating, and to keep improving how it does so.
A Legacy Still in the Making
We left Cashel with a deeper appreciation for the many layers behind a wheel of blue cheese: the pasture and the milk, the judgment of the cheesemakers, the technical decisions that protect the curd, the patience of maturation, and the family relationships that hold the whole enterprise together.
The drizzle over the pastures, the grazing cows, the modern cheesemaking facility, and lunch in the old farmhouse all felt like parts of the same story. Cashel is a business that has grown and changed, but its roots remain firmly planted at Beechmount.
Jane and Louis took a chance on a cheese Ireland wasn't yet accustomed to eating. Sarah and Sergio brought new energy and systems to help it grow. Louie's practical ingenuity continues to shape the operation, and the cheesemaking team brings the skill and care needed to turn milk into a cheese people love.
The family has invested in technology without abandoning hands-on craft, grown its market without losing its local connections, and pursued greater efficiency while considering the wellbeing of its people and the land.
For us, that is the real magic of Cashel Blue. It is not simply a successful cheese, but a reminder that innovation and tradition can work together—and that sometimes, the best way to honor a legacy is to keep asking what comes next.
The next time you cut into a wedge of Cashel Blue, look beyond those blue-green veins and creamy interior. You're tasting a little piece of Irish cheesemaking history, shaped by a family that dared to do something different.
And thank goodness they did.
Do Good. Eat Good.
— Kendall, Antonelli’s Cheese
More pics in my social post from our visit:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DK2L77HNyrb/
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