Bruny Island Cheese Co. & Bruny Island Beer Co.

Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co. makes artisan cheese, bread, and beer in Southern Tasmania.

Bruny Island Cheese Co. was started by Nick Haddow, after he spent 10 years working with specialist cheese makers in many different countries around the world. He and his partner Leonie settled on Bruny Island in Southern Tasmania in 2001 to start making cheese for themselves.

We are a complicated business. We don’t just make one thing and sell it one way. We are cheesemakers, farmers, bakers and brewers. We sell our cheese and beer directly to consumers through our online store, in our busy Cellar Door, and at markets and events all over Australia. In this regards, and in other ways too, we are different from most cheesemakers in Australia.  

We are passionate and skilled artisans. Our craft is rooted in tradition and our methods are uncompromising. Our production is small and reflects the seasonality of where we live. We usually take the hard road, the less profitable road, but it always feels like the more meaningful choice to make. 

There are really two strong themes that guide everything we do. First, we aim to make products that have a very strong connection to the place they are made: TASMANIA. We are not trying to make the best French cheese or German beer that we can. That does not make any sense to us. And secondly, we love having a very close relationship with the people who consume our products. Our supply chain only has two links in it: us and you. 

The business started as an exploration of Nick’s interest in cheese. These days, Nick is supported by a bunch of exceptionally talented people. So now, together, we are pursuing our shared passions. 

We would love you to come and visit us on Bruny Island for an authentic Cellar Door experience. 

Come in for a free sampling of our cheese and beers, watch us make cheese and have a chat with the cheese makers and brewer.

For those who want to stay a little longer and get to know us better, we also offer a selected dine-in menu that showcases what we do best. Sit under the eucalypts and enjoy a cheese platter or a long, lazy lunch.

Our menu is designed to showcase our own products. We don’t serve coffee, hot chocolate, cakes or cookies. You can expect lots of cheese options, and beer, including cheese platters, baked cheeses, and our famous toasties.

In 2016 we started making craft beer. Locally grown ingredients and an eye towards Tasmania’s seasons and sensibilities are what guides our beers down an unconventional path. 

In keeping with our dairy roots, a collection of decommissioned milk vats was repurposed into a 15 hectolitre brewhouse, located behind our cheesery. All our beers are open fermented, bottle conditioned and free from preservatives. 

Nick’s vision for the brewery is delivered by Head Brewer Luke Rutland. True to the ethos that underpins our farming and cheesemaking, the goal in our Brewery is to create intrinsically Tasmanian flavours and explore the rare opportunity offered by a Brewery and Cheesery operating alongside each other. 

Our range include half a dozen regular brews as well as several experimental and seasonal releases each year that showcase the incredible quality brewing ingredients that we have on our doorstep in Tasmania. 

BOOK A TASTING EXPERIENCE

For the true cheese and beer lovers, this is a highly recommended way to get the most out of your visit and take your experience to the next level.

We offer this service for groups from 2 – 10 people. Jess and her team will take you and your party through an informative taste experience of paired cheeses and beers, while you are guided through the cheesemaking and brewing process and get an understanding of our story, our farm and philosophy.

Cost is $40 per person and the tasting will last approximately 30 minutes. Booking are available at 11:30am from Monday to Saturday each week.