Note: The following article was published in the April 2024 edition of the Irish Herald of Northern California

By Erin Meehan Breen

Ireland’s dairy industry has some new players who are making headlines and adding to Ireland’s dairy industry in a whole new way.

Water buffalo were a bold move for Johnny Lynch and his dairy farm just west of Cork City, back in 2009. And now Macroom Buffalo Cheese is churning up some serious competition for cheese made with cow’s milk.

Dorothy O’Tuama runs tours of Macroom Buffalo Cheese. “It’s 8% milk fat compared to the 4% milk fat of cow’s milk,” she says.

That’s right, milk from water buffalo packs in double the fat, nutrients, calories and protein of cow’s milk. And buffalo meat is leaner than beef and offers more iron. Johnny Lynch recognized their value 15 years ago. And it’s adding diversity and depth to Ireland’s dairy industry.

Back in 2009, the dairy industry was looking bleak. That’s when Lynch invested in water buffalo. He imported 31 of the curly horned black beasts. He now has more than 700, and the markets for both the milk and the meat are taking off.

In fact, the benefits of Water Buffalo have also helped him financially weather more recent weaknesses in the dairy industry.  For instance, just last year in 2023 milk production was down 4%, according to Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board.  And that translated into a 60% drop in revenue for some dairy farms relying on cows. But the market for milk from Water Buffalo has steadily grown. 

Like cows, the buffalo automatically head to the milking barn twice a day. 

Lynch’s buffalo produce enough milk for two-and-a-half tons of cheese a week.  That is a lot of cheese! The biggest seller is Buffalo Mozzarella. But they are continually adding to their product line.

And with recent adds that now includes Buffalo Yogurt, Ricotta, Cypriot Style grilling cheese, Burrata, Bocconini and Greek style cheese. And the market is expanding.  They do ship internationally and in Ireland they now supply to powerhouse chains like Dunnes, Suprevalu, Tesco, Centra and Aldi.

O’Tuama says the buffalo are big, gentle and clever. 

“You see that gate?” she says as she points to the main entrance gate for the milking barn. “We’ve had to change out the gate mechanisms twice now, because they’ve figured out how to open it themselves. They are more like very big dogs than cows, really.”

And curiosity about the curly horned beasts is fueling another added revenue source at the farm too: tours. You can book group tours and see the milking, the cheese making and the babies that arrive year–round. Plus, you get a chance to see how it’s used for cooking and taste it for yourself.

“We book in groups for tours,” O’Tuama says. “We are excited to share the process, let people pet the babies in the barn, and give everyone a taste of what they are missing if they have never had Buffalo Cheese, or tasted the lean meat we produce.”

For more information go to: Macroombuffalocheese.com To hear a podcast on the Macroom Buffalo and other stories of Ireland go to ErinsIsle.org