Barber’s Cheesemakers is the world’s oldest surviving cheddar cheesemaker. They produce a wide variety of PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheddars, together with Wensleydale, Red Leicester and Double Gloucester. In addition to cheese, they also produce butter and infant formula whey powder products. Barber’s products are shipped to customers across the globe.
From their origins in 1833, the provenance of their milk supply has been critical. They have nine of their own herds and also purchase milk from a further 140 dairy farms which are all located within 30 miles of their production sites in Ditcheat and Bridport. Each dairy farm supplies milk to the Barber’s Assured Standard which ensures every cow is able to express their natural grazing behaviours and feel grass under their hooves when weather conditions allow.
What we do
Every year we collect approximately 200 million litres of milk from 150 farms in Somerset and Dorset. Operating 24/7, our team sample the milk from every collection and transfer key data directly to Barber’s to give them complete visibility on what each farm produces.
What makes our relationship a success?
Michael Masters, Head of Milk Supply Operations at Barbers Cheesemakers explains what makes our partnership successful:
“Milk and data transfer to our sites is expertly managed by the Gregory Group team. They accommodate the seasonal milk supply variations, collection window schedules, weather, servicing and tiny roads of Somerset and Dorset, with ease. It is a great team effort provided by a group of people who we can always rely on.
They provide regular communication and I know I can always rely on them.”
Looking to the future
Both Barbers and Gregory Group are family run businesses with a heritage that we are extremely proud of. With long term relationships in mind, we asked Michael what was needed to continue our strong relationship. He said:
“All successful businesses rely on partnership and continuous improvement. We talk regularly to ensure this happens – one recent example of this is when we discussed how to reduce emissions and noise during the off-loading process here at site. Rather than drivers sitting in their cabs with the engines running to keep warm, we agreed to install a new rest area for the drivers. This reduced costs, waste, emissions, and noise, all while providing a more social environment for drivers.
Continuous improvement is driven by people with a can do attitude. As long as these values remain in Gregory Group, I envisage our relationship continuing to flourish.”