Our history

On a Sunday morning in February 1989, the Minister of Agriculture announced his intention to ban the sale of unpasteurised cheese and, that same morning, the Specialist Cheesemakers' Association was founded. Our initial aim was to set the record straight and to explain our position to the Minister. In this, we were successful, but the most positive outcome was that we were given the kick-start we needed to form the Association.

It soon became clear that there was a lot of support for the Association from cheesemakers and from the general public who wanted more information about farmhouse cheeses.

The Specialist Cheesemakers Association is there to get cheesemakers together with each other, with retailers, wholesalers and anyone interested in cheese so that ideas can be shared. We can communicate effectively with Government, the media and the public, making sure that our voice is heard. Above all we can do our best to ensure that more good cheese is made and is available to a wider audience.

There has been much talk of "farmhouse", "artisan" and "on farm" cheeses and it seems that these terms can cover a multitude of different products. Probably the best way of defining the type of cheese that Association members produce is by defining the sort of people that we are trying to sell to. The specialist market is different from the mass market. It demands flavour and character from cheese whereas the mass market is more interested in price, shelf life and uniformity of flavour. In order to produce flavour and character, specialist cheeses tend to be handmade on the farm, on a small scale using traditional methods and often from unpasteurised milk.

The association welcomes members from all those interested in specialist cheeses produced in Britain and Ireland such as wholesalers, retailers, restaurateurs, chefs, journalists, suppliers to the industry and any lover of cheese.

For further information please contact SCA. For information on how to join the SCA and a list of subscription bands please see How to join SCA

Specialist Cheesemakers Association    17 Clerkenwell Green    London EC1R 0DP

Tel: 020 7253 2114    Fax: 020 7608 1645    Email: info@specialistcheesemakers.co.uk