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We are the only cow milk dairy on the island of Oahu and will soon be the first cow milk cheese production in the state of Hawaii EVER! We are aiming to create signature cheeses, made from milk from Hawaiian cows, that celebrate the flavors and terrain of our unique and beautiful islands. Some of the cheeses we are right now testing and working on perfecting include a soft young brie-type cheese, several styles of gouda including some made with local herbs and spices, and a kiawe (Hawaiian mesquite) smoked mozzarella type cheese! Soon, with your help, we can have these tasty beauties at the market and on your table!
The Impact
Hard Fact #1: To achieve longed for stability as a family owned and operated agricultural business, Naked Cow Dairy direly needs to start making cheese! By securing the waiting cheeselover market, this dairy will be able to thrive and grow.
Hard Fact #2: 100% of cow milk cheese in Hawaii has been imported, some cheeses from more than 10,000 miles away. Hawaii currently imports at least 80% of the food that we eat. Let's put a dent in these numbers!
Semi-Soft Fact: You will be helping Naked Cow Dairy make history by being the first cow milk cheese making operation in Hawaii.
Soft, Spreadable Delicious Fact: Imagine these cheeses made fresh, right here on the island with milk from pasture-raised cows: mozzarella, jack, cheddar, gouda, brie, camembert, and more! mmmmm.....
The Naked Cow Story and Vision
Naked Cow Dairy is a women-owned, family run cow dairy on the island of Oahu whose mission is to keep the art of caring for dairy cows alive and well in Hawaii and to bring Island-made, signature, local, fresh-churned butter and artisan cheeses to the table. Hand-crafted dairy products ensure the health and happiness of the cows as well as the high quality of the product.
Started by sisters Monique van der Stroom and Sabrina St. Martin, Naked Cow Dairy is a labor of love that fills a void left by the closure of 75 (!) dairies on Oahu in the past 50 years.
Monique came to the decision to start Naked Cow after working in other dairies on Oahu and watching each of them struggle and fail to compete with the cheaper mainland imports. She realized that in order to be viable it would be necessary to maximize the potential of the milk by creating value added foods like butter, yogurt and cheese.
Sabrina, after leaving New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina, came to the dairy with a vision to expand the culinary reach of the product to restaurant chefs passionate about locally produced food and farmer's market shoppers eager to support local farms.
What We Need & What You Get
This campaign’s goal is to raise $15,000 to equip our kitchen with a heating element for our 230 gallon cheese vat & low-temp pasteurizer. This part costs about $7000 to purchase and install.
In addition we need to build and outfit a cheese aging room that will keep our delicious cheeses at the right temperature and humidity until they go to market. The equipment and buildout of the space we need is estimated to cost about $8000.
With these parts of the puzzle in place we will be on the way to making Hawaii cheesy!!
As valued members of our food community your donations will be rewarded with awesome perks like your name in print on our cheese aging room “Wall O’ Moohalo” !
Or how about a one-of-a-kind cheese board on which to taste our fromage made from reclaimed Hawaiian hardwoods!
Or bring the family to Hawaii and experience an incredible day on our Wai’anae farm, learning to make cheese, milk cows and enjoy a Wai’anae sunset with cheese in hand!
Check out our “perks” to choose yours!
Other Ways You Can Help
