King Island Dairy dominates Tasmanian Fine Food Awards

Australia’s oldest artisan dairy has reaffirmed its place at the top of the cheesemaking world, with King Island Dairy winning five gold medals and one silver at the 2025 Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards judged last month.

Competing in the Dairy – Cheese category, the dairy’s celebrated range wowed the judges with its craftsmanship, flavour, and consistency across multiple cheese styles. The wins qualify the products for the prestigious Australian Grand Dairy Awards, to be held in October.

Founded over 120 years ago, the dairy continues to uphold traditional cheesemaking practices, using local milk sourced from grass-fed cows on the island’s lush pastures. Artisan cheese production continues under the new owner King Island Dairy 2 Pty Ltd that purchased the factory and the two corporate dairy farms earlier this year from global dairy giant Saputo, who planned to close it down if a buyer was not found.

Award-winning cheeses

The dairy’s gold-medal winners span several cheese types, highlighting its versatility and commitment to excellence:

Endeavour Blue and Roaring Forties Blue – awarded gold in the Blue Mould category, both are rich, bold blue vein cheeses matured to perfection.

Black Label Double Brie – recognised in the Washed Rind/Mixed Rind category, known for its complex flavour and creamy texture.

Furneaux Decadently Creamy – a luxurious, double cream-style brie, winning gold in the Surface Ripened White Mould – Brie class.

Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar – took top honours in the Any Other Type of Cheese category for its deep, smoky character.

Black Label Cheddar – earned a silver medal in the Cheddar Cheese, any age class, showcasing 24 months of careful maturation.

“This is an incredible result and we’re so proud of our cheesemaking team for delivering another batch of delicious cheeses for everyone to enjoy,” Managing Director Nick Dobromilsky told Retail World.

“It shows that the traditional ways of doing things are still often the best. Our team takes enormous pride in every wheel and wedge, and we can’t wait to see what’s around the corner in the national awards.”

The accolades follow a year of resurgence and revitalisation for the historic dairy, which earlier in 2024 won national and international honours:

Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar was named Champion Flavoured Cheese at the Dairy Australia 2024 Australian Grand Dairy Awards.

The Furneaux Double Brie received a Bronze in the Brie category at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin, USA — one of the most prestigious cheese competitions in the world.

These achievements are especially significant given the dairy’s precarious situation earlier in the year. After uncertainty surrounding its future under multinational ownership, the dairy was rescued by the two Australian entrepreneurs, Graeme Wilson and Nick Dobromilsky. Their acquisition brought King Island Dairy back into Australian hands, where it is now jointly owned and committed to preserving its heritage and building a future grounded in sustainability, innovation, and community engagement.

“We knew we had something incredibly special on King Island, not just in terms of products, but people,” said Dobromilsky. “The cheesemakers here are some of the most skilled in the world, and our job is to support them with the right investment and vision.”

King Island Dairy is not only a beloved national brand, it’s also the island’s largest private employer and a cornerstone of its economy. The operation supports dozens of skilled workers, agricultural workers, and logistics partners on King Island, contributing to the sustainability of a regional community.

Cheeses from the award-winning range are available in major supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths, as well as through independent gourmet retailers across the country.

With its latest wins, the dairy has once again cemented its reputation as a world-class producer, proudly Tasmanian, proudly traditional, and proudly local. All eyes will now turn to the Australian Grand Dairy Awards in October, where King Island Dairy will compete among the best of the best.