Clevedon Buffalo Co.

Located just south of Auckland on Umupuia Beach along the Hauraki Gulf, Clevedon Buffalo Co. is New Zealand’s pioneering buffalo farm. Established in 2007 by Richard and Helen Dorresteyn, this family-operated farm manages a herd of 200 buffalo, of which 70 are currently in milk production. Their passion extends to crafting award-winning products such as buffalo mozzarella, bocconcini, ricotta, feta, yoghurt, and marinated buffalo cheese.

Richard and Helen lease two farms: a 500-acre property where they grow most of their feed, and a 60-acre farm. Richard, an industrial electrician by trade and Helen, a former art teacher, embarked on their farming journey 18 years ago, with 16 years on the Clevedon-based property. After having a family, Helen started a local farmers’ market. The need for cheese at the market led Richard to start cheesemaking, and their passion for it grew from there.

Helen said, “My husband and I were enjoying fresh mozzarella in the Bay of Naples many years ago and realised that buffalo milk cheeses are best when made with fresh milk and eaten immediately. At the time, we had a small farmers’ market that needed a cheesemaker, so we thought, ‘why not?’ We imported New Zealand’s first milking herd of buffalo in 2006, just a year after we started the Clevedon Farmers’ Market.”

Highlighting their dedication to both farming and cheesemaking, Helen reflected on the early stages of milking, making, and delivering cheese, mentioning that mozzarella was unfamiliar to many. “I went round every restaurant and shop in Auckland and a lot of New Zealand presenting the product, so it was a case of educating people and getting them to try it. Buffalo milk mozzarella is a very delicate flavour, and you need to try it to appreciate it,” she said.

For the first five years, Helen worked alongside Richard in the factory, helping to make cheese. They began with mozzarella and gradually expanded into yoghurts and marinated varieties. “When we started milking, there were five animals in the shed, so it wasn’t huge. We won an award at the first cheese awards we entered and were featured on John Campbell at six o’clock.”

“I think every foodie from here to Maketu wanted our buffalo cheese, but we couldn’t supply enough then. So, between then and now, there’s been a lot more cheese development and a lot of breeding. We’ve got a very fine herd, I believe they are the best in the southern hemisphere because we’ve done a lot of AI and selective breeding to have really milky, even-tempered buffalo.”

Clevedon Buffalo Co. offers an impressive range of cheeses and yoghurts, starting with their artisan Mozzarella, produced through a concentrated one-day process and available in cherry, bocconcini, and traditional varieties. Their yoghurt, made from 100% buffalo milk, is renowned for its rich, velvety texture and includes flavours like lemon zest with local Villa Franca lemons, vanilla using Heilala vanilla bean paste, and boysenberry featuring Hawke’s Bay fruit. In winter, they focus on feta cheese, known for its crumbly texture and herby flavour, and marinated fresh buffalo cheeses in varieties such as chilli, orange, and rosemary and thyme. They also offer a diverse selection of locally produced products, including cream cheese, ricotta, gouda, and even buffalo pies.

“When you’re breeding, you always have male animals, so we’ve always raised our boys. We’ve had the meat around for years and sold it through various restaurants. We keep the fillets and sell them, but the rest is used for prime mince. We’re also planning some steak cuts and have just made our first batch of buffalo pies. They’re deep pies with a proper butter pastry. Chef Adam, who makes them for us, is a true master. He’s created an amazing filling, almost like a bolognese, with tamarind, real stock, and just the right ingredients.”

Helen advocates for a full-circle approach, emphasising the efficient use of all resources to maximise nutrient-rich benefits. Buffalo provides very lean meat, and while their milk contains more fat, it boasts half the cholesterol of cow’s milk and higher levels of calcium and protein.

“Buffalo milk is A2, which means it’s more readily digestible. People have all sorts of issues with milk these days, and often it’s because it’s blended with many different sources. The milk is also porcelain white, which is because the buffalo absorb the carotene from the grass, they don’t pass it out in their milk.” The business believes in creating products they enjoy and can be proud of, rather than just for profit.

“To us, it’s a new business in New Zealand, and it would be an injustice to our animals to just commodify it. I believe buffalo have massive potential; the best leather is buffalo leather. It’s really thick, and the finest saddles and boots overseas are made from buffalo leather because it’s tough. Their meat is delicious, their milk is amazing, and they are strong. They’re about 25% more efficient with their food. And to put it into perspective, buffalo provide an eighth of the world’s milk, with significant production in countries like Egypt, Hungary, Italy, Pakistan, and India.”

“We could become known as a country of really good regional products, regional wines, and cheeses. But to do that, we must support that market. You need a situation where people are enabled to do it, but once they’re doing it, they’re not hindered, they’re helped. Farmers’ markets are wonderful because you’re not giving away 40% of your sale price to a supermarket or a shop. I think more needs to be done to enable smaller producers to get their products out and around the country. Why have a product where you don’t know where it comes from? Why not have it fresh?”

Sustainability is a core principle of their business, and they take pride in the fact that the cheese is made locally and arrives on restaurant tables the very next day, minimising their footprint. They also value close interactions with local growers, with those synergies within the agricultural sector enhancing their commitment to sustainability and community.

“We’ve worked at doing lots of marginal planting around our waterways and, most importantly, building our open farm system with a composting barn, which means our animals are off the paddocks in winter, so in inclement weather and when it’s hot, they will sit in the composting barn. It’s about a metre of compost shavings. They, of course, go in there, and that gets tined in with a tractor every day. So by the end of the year, you’ve got this incredibly friable, beautiful compost, which we then spread back on our paddocks. The animals are not leaching excrement onto the paddocks when they’re wet, which would go out into the waterways. It’s collected in there, and then it’s spread in summer when it dries out and we get extra grass growth.”

Clevedon Buffalo Co. is focused on significant investments, including the construction of a new factory to support their expanding operations and to accommodate the production of speciality cheeses, such as a unique blue cheese they are developing, taking inspiration from their travels to France. To achieve these goals, they plan to increase their workforce to allow Helen and Richard more time for research and development. The new factory will feature a dedicated blue cheese facility to maintain product integrity and prevent cross-contamination. Additionally, they dream of creating a farm, factory, and bistro combination, where local food is celebrated in a bistro partnered with their buffalo farm.

“I would like to say that if you can’t find our products in your local retailer, ask them why not? The consumer demanding quality New Zealand products is what’s going to make the difference,” Helen added.

She added, “I’d just like to reach out to all farmers and say ‘good on you, mate’ because it’s hard work, and if you don’t get in front of your customers, you don’t get recognition for what you do. And I think being able to be in a job where you’re not constantly getting clapped on the back and told you’re a good fella and to husband animals and land, it’s a real skill.”