Artisan Cheesemaker Sharpham Dairy has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help them reach their goal of becoming a sustainable cheesemaker.

Owners Greg and Nicky Parsons are asking people to 'Join the herd' to help them raise their target of £65,000, which will enable the business to invest in renewable energy and water recycling through a host of cheese related rewards ranging from £20 to £2,000.

As well as having a milk or cheese vat in your name or bathing in milk, there’s plenty of cheese up for grabs, including a cheese-making experience, cheese tour, and a Sharpham Cheese and Wine Tasting in your home hosted by Greg and drinks writer and presenter Susy Atkins.

The couple took the reins of Sharpham Cheese in July 2019, assuming responsibility for a team and all the products, knowing that their last would expire in three years and that they would need a new home for the dairy.

After 38 years of gentle growth and fairly plain sailing, they could not have predicted the challenges they would face within a year of buying the business, mainly driven by the Covid pandemic, which led to plummeting sales and them losing their planned new dairy home on the Dartington Estate.

Despite the setback, the couple, with the help of their team and the support of their loved ones, 'bounced into 2025' in their new dairy having delivered their biggest Christmas ever.

This year, the award-winning Devon cheese brand, which was recently named Best Overall in The Standard newspaper’s Best British Cheeses Guide, is celebrating life in their new dairy after 40 years of cheesemaking and has recently been championed by celebrity chef James Martin in his new book Cheese, and in a recent episode of James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV1.

The Devon-based cheese company, which crafts its cheese using the finest local milk, moved into larger premises near Totnes in 2024 as its reputation and demand for its cheese continues to grow.

The £65,000 target will be used to switch the dairy to solar power (£30,000), implement water recycling (£25,000) to minimise waste and maximise efficiency, and upgrade to highly efficient cheese-making equipment (£20,000) to further improve productivity and efficiency.

Greg Parsons said: “We know we’re not the only ones passionate about high-quality, sustainable food. If people believe in supporting small, independent food producers, then this is their chance to make a difference and help shape the future of British artisan cheesemaking. We’ve assembled a fantastic array of cheese-centred lots in order to raise the target amount. There’s something for everyone in there, whether you’re a cheese lover or are looking for an unusual gift for someone or even your team”.

Sharpham is the UK’s first B Corp cheese dairy, born and based near Totnes and has received outstanding accolades, including a coveted 3-star Great Taste Award for their Cremet and multiple golds for their celebrated mixed milk Rushmore cheese, as well as beloved classics like Sharpham Brie and Ticklemore.

To support their 'Curd is the Word' Crowdfunder visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/sharpham-cheese