About Us
Award Winning Organic Cheese From The Scottish Highlands
Connage Highland Dairy is a traditional, family-owned, fully organic business situated on the family farm at Ardersier. The farm was originally established by father Hamish Clark and has remained within the family ever since, with the next generation continuing the family’s strong connection to farming and the local community. Today, Connage is owned and run by brothers Callum and Cameron and their wives, Jill and Eileen, making it a family business in every sense of the word. Callum and Jill are responsible for the cheese side of the business, bringing years of knowledge, experience and passion to the production of their multi-award-winning cheeses. They take great pride in creating a high-quality, fully traceable end product, using the finest organic milk produced on their own farm. Meanwhile, Cameron and Eileen undertake the majority of the day-to-day farm work themselves, from breeding and managing the dairy herd to milking the cows and caring for the land. The organic herd consists of around 150 cows, mainly Holstein Friesians, alongside Jersey crosses and Norwegian Reds. The cows spend much of their time grazing the rich, clover-filled pastures surrounding the dairy and stretching along the shores of the Moray Firth, helping to produce the high-quality milk that is at the heart of Connage’s cheeses.
Caring for the Land and Community
Although Connage Highland Dairy may be best known to the outside world for its cheese, the family sees the business as being part of a much bigger and more sustainable cycle. The cheese is just one part of a carefully managed organic farming system that begins with the land and the animals and continues through to the finished product. The farm grows much of its own feed, helping to reduce reliance on external supplies, while the organic farming system places animal welfare and the health of the environment at the heart of everything they do. The business also provides employment opportunities for local people and continues to explore alternative sources of energy as it looks for ways to become even more sustainable in the future. For the Clark family, caring for the beautiful Highland environment in which they are fortunate enough to farm is just as important as producing exceptional cheese. They are proud of the many awards their cheeses have received, but they are equally proud of their contribution to the local Highland community and to Scotland’s wider food and drink industry. By combining traditional family farming values with a forward-thinking approach to sustainability, animal welfare and quality, Connage Highland Dairy continues to build a business that respects its heritage while looking towards the future.