August 2021. Durbanville, South Africa – Zandam Italian Cheese is busy with a building project our herd of Mediterranean Water Buffalo with new housing for when they are not out and about, grazing on the farm.  

The cheesery has been producing Mozzarella di Bufala since last year. We are incredibly proud that the product achieved a first place in the SA Dairy Championship  in its very first year of competing.

The buffaloes were acquired from Buffalo Ridge who imported the first, and at the time only, 24 water buffalo into South Africa.  

Durbanville, South Africa – Zandam Italian Cheese has acquired a herd of 174 Mediterranean Water Buffalo to start production of Mozzarella di Bufala as soon as possible. The cheesery has been crafting true and authentic Italian cheese since 1962 at its premises next to the R312 to Durbanville in the Western Cape, South Africa.

The buffaloes were acquired from Buffalo Ridge who imported the first, and at the time only, 24 water buffalo into South Africa. The initial 24 arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on the 9th of August 2006. The herd has been bred to its current numbers by Wayne Rademeyer for production of Buffalo Mozzarella at Buffalo Ridge farm outside Wellington. With the sale, Buffalo Ridge will no longer be producing the cheese.

The relocation of the herd from Buffalo Ridge to two Zandam properties started on the 1st of October, 2020. The cows producing milk will remain at their current location until all preparations for production is in place at Zandam, to ensure as little stress on the animals as possible.

“The herd will roam on the Zandam property as well as at De Hoop, situated next to the R44, another asset belonging to Zandam Property Holdings. These farms have enough pasture to keep the animals pasture-fed as far as possible during their growth phase. De Hoop also has a beautiful dam, which is important for their thermoregulation. These buffaloes need wallows, rivers or dams to thrive,” says Mauro Delle Donne, Managing Director of Zandam Italian Cheese.

The company already produces a wide range of award-winning Italian cheeses, most recently being awarded first place in the 2020 South African Dairy Championship for its Mascarpone, Ricotta and Scamorza (smoked mozzarella). The Burrata achieved a second place in its category, with the Provolone achieving a third place.

Due to the small volumes the cheese will be hand-stretched, while the moulding of the balls will be done with existing Zandam equipment. Zandam’s factory is FSSC 22000 certified – an internationally accepted food safety accreditation. The company prides itself on striving for waste-free production. As it makes different styles of cheese, very little dairy is wasted. The award-winning Ricotta cheese, for example, is made from left-over whey from other cheesemaking

For further media queries or photograph requests contact Jeanette Clark at +27 83 562 1925.