Francy makes a lovely light, piquant firm cheese a bit like an Emmantaler, but with smaller and more numerous holes, called Karoo Swiss.
Karoo Swiss: semi-hard, 3-6 months matured – Gold Medal, World Jersey Cheese Championships
The Langbaken Karoo Cheese story:
In 2010 Peter and Francy Schoeman moved to Langbaken Farm in Williston in the Great Karoo. They brought with them a small herd of 10 Jersey cows with dreams to make beautiful, artisanal cheese from raw milk. An old wagon room was converted into a cheesery, and the first cheese was made in June of 2010. Langbaken Karoo Cheese was born.
They work according to Slow Food principles, using traditional farmhouse methods. The well-being of their cows, and the production of nutritious, pure, raw milk is a priority.
The pristine Karoo, and the gentle lifestyle contributes enormously to the character of the cheese. Peter is in charge of getting high-quality milk into the cheese vat in order for Francy to make the best possible cheese. The farmer and the cheesemaker are a winning team, who have been winning awards, at the SA Dairy Championships since they first entered in 2013.