FAMILY-OWNED SINCE 1908

It all started with a few sheep, a paddock full of vegetables and a herd of dairy cows.

This was Eddington Farm, Ashgrove’s original parcel of land, in 1908.

Back in those days, ‘pasture-raised’ and ‘organic’ were just the norm, and family enterprises like Eddington provided top-notch products for their community.

But as the years marched on, the value of dairy took a tumble. Big players flooded the market with cheap milk and made it tough for local farmers to compete on price.

Brothers, Michael and John Bennett AM were born and raised on Eddington Farm in the 1940s, and together with their wives Maureen and Connie, formed the Ashgrove Farm partnership in 1983.

Their goal was to gain independence from low commodity prices by adding extra value to their milk.

So they took a leap of faith and became on-farm dairy manufacturers establishing the Ashgrove Farm Factory and specialising in premium quality, traditionally-styled cheese at the source.

 

This pasture-to-plate philosophy differentiates Ashgrove to this day.

 

  • 1983 – Ashgrove farm partnership formed
  • 1990 – Dairy infrastructure commences
  • 1992 – Construction of Ashgrove factory begins
  • 1993 – First vat of cheese produced
  • 1994 – The farm gate cheese shop opens
  • 2001 – Ashgrove cheese company established
  • 2008 – Bottling of fresh milk and cream starts
  • 2009 – Butter production commences
  • 2011 – Cheese packing and milk line expansion
  • 2017 – Cheese factory upgrade
  • 2018 – Ambient cheese snacks start
  • 2019 – Hobart distribution centre opens
  • 2021 – Ashgrove dairy door and visitor centre opens
  • 2021 - Ashgrove Milk on Tap ™ commences
  • 2024 - Ashgrove Eco-Milk ™ commences
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FARM FACT

The original Ashgrove factory was hand-built by the family from upcycled mining equipment carried over from the North East coast of Tasmania.

What do cows use when they text?

E-MOO-jis!