A Slice of Barrys Bay

Picture this: You're winding down towards Akaroa, the road hugs the hillside, and then bam, the view opens up. If you've popped over that hill, you'll remember. Turquoise water, rolling green hills, and tucked into the bay below, a little white building that's been quietly making some of New Zealand's best cheese since 1895. We're talking about Barry's Bay Cheese, and we had the absolute pleasure of spending the day with Daniel, the owner, getting the full behind-the-scenes tour. Spoiler alert: we're now officially curd nerds.

‍_{A LITTLE SLICE OF HISTORY}

Barry's Bay isn't just any cheese factory. It's the last one standing on Banks Peninsula - a survivor from an era when there were nine family-owned dairy co-ops dotted around the hills. One by one, they closed up shop. Barry's Bay kept going.

The factory we visited was built in the 1950s and it's still going strong. They've never been swayed by the mechanical temptations that would've made things faster or easier. Nope. They're all about doing things the old-school way - with time, love, and perhaps a little stubbornness (their words, not ours). Because when you've been doing something for over a century, you learn that shortcuts don't make great cheese.

Before we even got to the factory floor, we stopped by their shop. Shelves lined with award-winning cheeses, special collaborations, and (here's where our Wonky hearts skipped a beat) cheese offcuts. You know, the perfectly delicious bits that don't look quite right for the supermarket shelf but taste absolutely bang-on.

_{THE HEART OF THE OPERATION}

Then came the main event: the factory tour.

We walked into a space that smelled like warm milk and possibility. The cheesemaking team were mid-batch, making Havarti - their most popular cheese (and for good reason, as we'd soon find out). There were four or five people working the curds and whey, and let us tell you, this is hard work.

Cheesemaking isn't just a process. It's a craft. A labour of love. And the attention to detail? Incredible.

_{FROM MILK TO MASTERPIECE}

It starts with grass-fed goodness
Every morning, milk arrives from nearby Canterbury farms. Barry's Bay actually pauses cheese production for three months of the year when the grass isn't as lush and the milk quality dips. They could keep going, but they won't compromise. Quality over quantity, always.

Then comes the heat
The milk gets a quick treatment at around 72.5°C - just enough to kill the nasties while keeping all the good stuff intact.

Enter the curds and whey
Plant-based rennet is added, and the milk begins to separate. This is where the real hands-on work begins. The team carefully cuts, stirs, and drains the curds - one batch per day.

Pressing into shape
Once the curds are squeezed of moisture, they're pressed into moulds - sometimes the classic round wheels you picture, other times rectangles.

The top-secret brine bath
The cheese is dunked into a salt brine - Barry's Bay's secret recipe and the magic ingredient that transforms bland curds into flavour-packed gold. This tasty bath is what sets their cheese apart.

Time to age gracefully
The cheeses move into temperature-controlled ageing rooms. Some stay for three years, others just a few weeks. Some develop holes for that Swiss-style look. Others get injected with air to create blue cheese clusters. And some are cold-smoked over manuka, apple tree, or pohutukawa wood.

Looking through the ageing rooms, you'll spot wooden cheese mould boxes dating back years - beautifully made bits of kit stamped with "NZ Dairy Board" from the older trading days. Patience makes perfection.

Ready for the world
After ageing, the cheeses are cut into different portion sizes for different outlets. And here's where Wonky comes in…

_{THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT CHEESE}

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There are always offcuts. Odd shapes. End pieces. Bits that don't fit neatly into retail packaging but are absolutely delicious.

That's where we step in. These offcuts - perfect in flavour, just a little wonky in shape - are now available through Good Groceries by Wonky. You get award-winning, artisan cheese at a better price, and we get to rescue good food from going to waste. Win-win? We think so.

We're curd nerds at heart, but we're also practical. Cheesemaking creates surpluses—batches with minor cosmetic quirks, odd weights, trim ends. Perfectly good cheese that just doesn't fit the traditional retail mould.

Sometimes a wheel that needs to be cut into rectangles is a tricky affair that creates a few odds and ends. Or there's a tiny annatto fleck that the brand would rather not send to the supermarket but doesn't affect flavour one bit. Or there are 500 units when a buyer only wanted 400.

That's where Good Groceries comes in. We take the overruns, the odd shapes, and the test batches, then deliver them cold and fresh with your regular Wonky order. Award-winning cheese at prices that make sense, from Canterbury milk aged on Banks Peninsula. The cheese gets eaten instead of wasted, and you get the full story of where it came from.

_{COMING TO DOORSTEPS}

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You'll start seeing Barry's Bay cheeses pop up in Good Groceries by Wonky - think Havarti, Gouda, and special vintage or "wonky cut" runs when they're available. These are award-winning cheeses from NZ's talented makers and producers, and can be added to your box alongside your fruit and veg. All delivered cold and fresh, straight to your door with your regular Wonky Box.

Ready to get your hands on some of this award-winning goodness? Head to Good Groceries by Wonky and keep an eye out for Barry's Bay drops. Your cheese board will thank you.