Quality at the Heart of Cooleeney: A Tale of Tradition and Innovation

At Cooleeney, quality isn’t just a priority—it’s a way of life. From the rich Tipperary pastures where the cows graze, to the meticulous care given to the herd. The Maher’s leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of delivering the highest quality milk essential for crafting their award-winning, artisan cheese.

Breda Maher pictured with Willie Kearns AHV and Kevin Quilter AHV

Breda Maher, the matriarch of the family, reflects on the family’s journey into cheesemaking:

“Back in 1984, we started searching for products that were suitable to be made on the farm. With the introduction of quotes we were restricted in increasing our dairy herd, so we decided to find a product that was suitable for milk. After a lot of research, we decided on cheesemaking.

“There was no other raw soft cheese being made in Ireland at the time,” she recalls. “The industry itself had just begun a couple of years ahead of us and we put our first cheese on the market in September 1986. At this stage, we had developed a kitchen just off our house, more or less a back kitchen. That’s where it all started, literally a bucket of milk and we took it from there.”

In March 1989, Cooleeney added a purpose-built plant, marking a significant step in their journey. “We’ve been here since 1989 and we’ve extended it on a number of occasions,” Breda explains. “Originally we started with one product at Cooleeney and we now have 13 at the moment. We supply to all supermarkets in Ireland both with our own brand and with their brands and we export to about four or five countries as well.”

‘A fabulous journey’

Reflecting on the challenges and triumphs of their journey, Breda muses, “It’s been a fabulous journey, not without its challenges and its humps and bumps but I think life is full of that anyway. That’s what makes it more interesting, it would be dull if every day is the same.”

Today, Breda and Jim manage the business alongside their son Pat, his wife Johanna and their four children, making them the fourth generation of the Maher family farming the land.

Left to right Kevin Quilter AHV, Willie Kearns AHV , Pat Maher Cooleeney Cheese

Three generations of the Maher men

Partnership with AHV; health is imperative for performance

The Maher family’s dedication to quality extends to their dairy herd. Over four generations, they have developed their pedigree Friesian dairy herd on a grass-based system of 275 acres. Excellence is evident in their monthly milk records, with a herd average of 6,300 litres and an average somatic cell count (SCC) of 77,000 in 2023.

Pat Maher takes up the story. “Here at Cooleeney Cheese animal health and welfare is imperative for performance of the Cooleeney herd, hence our decision to work closely with AHV over the last few years on udder health.”

“Our partnership with AHV has brought solutions that result in less culling, greater longevity in the herd, lower treatment costs, higher production, and milk with a longer shelf life. These efforts support the sustainability of our production of high-quality milk for our award-winning business.”

Kevin Quilter and Willie Kearns (AHV) pictured with Jim Maher and Michael (Cooleeney Cheese)

AHV are thrilled to invite our farmers to Cooleeney Farm in Thurles, Tipperary, on May 8th 2024 at 11am. Join us to discuss effective udder health strategies to keep your cows healthy, productive and in the herd longer. It promises to be an informative and engaging session for all attendees.

To join our Udder Health Workshop, please RSVP to; Kevin Quilter; 0873813144 or Willie Kearns; 0879663377. Or contact our Portlaoise office to enquire about future Udder Health Workshops on 05786 88858.