WA farmer Chris Vogel on why Dellendale is a Grand Dairy winner

WA farmer Chris Vogels’ raclette may be inspired by Switzerland, but the milk that makes the cheese is from only a few kilometres away. See the story behind the award-winner.

Much like a Swiss Army knife, dairy farmer turned cheesemaker Chris Vogels says it takes a multi-pronged approach to be the nation’s best.

His Dellendale Creamery business from Denmark in Western Australia won this year’s top prize at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards last week – the Grand Champion Cheese title for its Churchill Rd Raclette.

WA farmer turned cheesemaker Chris Vogels has years of Swiss dairy experience.

The awards received 406 entries across 22 categories, with a key criterion for entry that products be made with 100 per cent Australian milk.

Chris certainly fulfilled that category – his raclette may be inspired by Switzerland but the milk that makes the cheese is from only a few kilometres away at Malcolm Hick’s dairy farm, also in WA’s Denmark region.

“Malcolm is one of the best dairy farmers in the business,” Chris said.

“In order to get the best cheese, you’ve got to have the best milk that goes into it. Simple is that. I’ve worked as a dairy farmer in the past and Malcolm is always innovating.”

WA farmer Malcolm Hick supplies milk to Dellendale Creamery as well as other dairy producers.

Malcolm’s robotic dairy milks 150 cattle that produces 1.3 million litres per annum – with Dellendale one of several dairy producers he supplies across WA.

Having first worked on dairy farms in Switzerland in 1988, Chris has returned several times over the past three decades to the central European nation to finetune his raclette skills.

“One of the big changes in Switzerland dairy since the late 1980s has been farms milking together in a more co-operative style. When I first went there, you’d have farmers with herds of 20, 30 or 40 cows and they’d milk seven days a week. These days, you’ll have farmers working in groups, so they’re no longer working seven days a week. They can take turns with the weekend work.”