New Zealand’s most awarded cheese!
When Kapiti first started in the Lower North Island more than 35 years ago, our exquisitely aromatic, deliciously indulgent, individualistic and handcrafted cheese changed the New Zealand palate forever.
Now, our award-winning cheeses have become a staple in the repertoire of our best chefs and commonplace on cheese boards. The range has expanded, but the philosophy behind Kapiti and its commitment to excellence remains intact. Our cheeses have te reo Maori names that reference their style, and the illustrations on our beautiful wraps are inspired by the Kapiti landscape, representing the taste and texture of each cheese. Using our skill, passion & care we craft something truly special and uniquely New Zealand.
Create this mouth-watering dish with delicious Kapiti Cheese: Wagyu Shoulder Tenderloin with Smoked Mushroom Ragu & Blue Cheese Parsnip Purée
Serve with sous vide shoulder tenderloin and plate with additional crumbled Kapiti Kikorangi Triple Cream Blue and glazed heirloom carrots.
Hot cheese suggestions
Elevate any dish by adding hot Kapiti cheese. Try frying halloumi to make nuggets or baking cheddar into mac and cheese, the possibilities are endless!
Incorporate hot cheese with these cooking methods:
Soufflé
Deep-frying
Baking and desserts
Sauces
Preparing and storing
Serving on a cheese board - let flavours bloom at room temperature.
Cathy Lang is Master Cheesemaker for Fonterra in Eltham, Taranaki, and is the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association’s 2022 champion.
Since she first saw cheese being made, Cathy says that methods haven’t changed that much, traditional cheese-making techniques are still being used. “We still make cheese in large open vats where we cut and stir the curds by hand.” The milk that goes into the Eltham specialty cheese is delivered fresh each morning from local Taranaki farms. “Having the milk close by means better quality cheese. It’s all about the soil, the pasture, and the animals. Good quality milk from healthy pasture-fed stock from a cheesemaker’s point of view makes the best cheese.”
“I enjoy the science of cheesemaking, but it’s also the craft that keeps me interested - I love how each cheesemaker can develop their own style.”
Last year at the NZ Cheese Awards, Kapiti received an amazing 21 medals (10 Gold, 8 Silver and 3 Bronze), making our cheese some of the most awarded in the country and we are consistently winning big awards in international competitions too, with Kapiti Kikorangi receiving 4 top trophies in the recent International Cheese & Dairy Competition held in the UK, including Reserve Champion in Show. We’re just a little cheese factory in Eltham and we’re winning big awards. That’s something to be extremely proud of.
Cathy has spent 19 years making cheese and is fascinated by the cheese-making process which she describes as the perfect blend of science and creativity. “From the interactions between the milk, starter cultures, moulds and enzymes to the magic of maturation”.
Her interest in cheesemaking started at a young age on a school trip to the local dairy factory in Brightwater, South Island. She remembers standing around a vat full of cheddar curds while the cheesemaker explained how it was made, giving her a taste of unsalted curds. Cathy has experience and qualifications in science and has completed several international cheesemaking courses.
Cathy Lang’s Cheeseboard must-haves:
“Start with something mild, like a creamy, buttery manuka Havarti. Then add some white mould cheese, such as a nice, creamy Brie. Then go through to some blues, which you can have really strong if you like sharp, salty and spicy, or more creamy, fruity-flavoured blues like our Kikorangi Blue, which is milder but really unctuous. And finally, for added interest, add a Rarama, a washed-rind ‘stinky’ cheese.”
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