As consumer requirements continue to change, so too does the dairy category. Increasingly, consumers are looking for products that accommodate specific dietary requirements without compromising on taste, quality or the enjoyment of traditional dairy.
At Bush Hill Cheese, we have experienced this first-hand. Following the success of our Lactose-Free Yoghurt, we have received a growing number of enquiries from customers looking for other lactose-free products within our range. This has led to the development of our newest cheese: Vaccino Novello, a lactose-free semi-hard cheese made from the full-cream milk of our pasture-based Jersey cows.
The name Novello means “new” in Italian – an appropriate name for a cheese that represents a new direction for our cheesery.
Why lactose-free?
Lactose is a an enzyme naturally occurring sugar found in milk, and people who are lactose intolerant do not produce sufficient quantities of this enzyme required by the body to break lactose down effectively. As a result, consuming foods containing lactose can cause digestive discomfort.
To produce Vaccino Novello, we add lactase which breaks down the lactose down into the simpler sugars glucose and galactose, in effect, doing the work for those who do not naturally tolerate dairy products. The result is a lactose-free semi-hard cheese that allows those managing lactose intolerance to enjoy real dairy cheese without having to move to a plant-based or dairy-alternative product.
Importantly, lactose intolerance should not be confused with a cow’s milk allergy. Vaccino Novello is made from cow’s milk and is therefore not suitable for people with a milk-protein allergy.
While Vaccino Novello is new, the principles behind it remain very much those of Bush Hill Cheese; our cheesery is situated in Creighton, KZN, where our Jersey herd graze on pastures grown for them on the farm. Their rich, creamy milk travels a short distance from the dairy to our on-site cheesery, where our range is made by hand. Using this full-cream Jersey milk, we do not remove the cream before producing our cheeses and yoghurts. It is this single-source approach, from our own herd, on our own farm, into our own cheesery – that remains central to the Bush Hill Cheese range.
The growing requirement for lactose-free options presents a particular challenge for restaurants, hotels, lodges and caterers.
Guests increasingly expect menus to accommodate different dietary requirements, but providing those options can mean purchasing separate products or turning to dairy substitutes which may perform and taste quite differently in the kitchen. Vaccino Novello now provides another option.
As a semi-hard dairy cheese, it can be incorporated into cheese boards, sandwiches, platters and cooked dishes, giving chefs and caterers greater flexibility when accommodating lactose-intolerant guests.
Vaccino Novello is now available for retail, hospitality, food-service and wholesale enquiries.
For trade enquiries, contact sales@bushhillcheese.co.za.
