Waimata Cheese was founded by Carol and Richard Thorpe in 1994 and has been handcrafting artisan, vegetarian cheeses in a small factory on the picturesque bank of the Waimata River in Gisborne ever since. They are now the third largest New Zealand specialty cheese maker and produce 300 tonnes of cheese annually, from three million litres of milk supplied by local dairy farms, their own included. O
ver the last 27 years the Waimata brand has become well known by New Zealanders, and in 2007 a new brand, Longbush, named after a Longbush reserve, was added to the company’s range of products. Waimata specialises in Blue and White moulded cheeses and their product range includes haloumi, camembert, brie, blue brie, blue vein, double cream camembert and ashed brie. In 2018, the Thorpe family branched out into sheep milk cheeses with the transition from their cow dairying farm to ewe milking. Then in 2020, the blended milk range was born. A gorgeous, 50/50 blend of cow and sheep milk in both a brie and blue vein cheese. All cheeses are handcrafted using traditional techniques without the use of stabilizers or inhibitors to artificially extend shelf life. Waimata currently supplies to most supermarkets in New Zealand, as well as numerous hospitality companies. Waimata has also been involved in the weekly Gisborne Farmer's Market, held every Saturday morning, for the past 15 years.
