In 1979, Helene Willems, tired of feeding her young children on processed cheese, decided to try to make some Gouda cheese with the milk from the family herd. Like so many of the pioneers of Irish farmhouse cheese, Helene began experimenting with simple equipment in the kitchen. It wasn’t long before she was supplying friends, neighbours and local restaurants with her new creation. Nowadays, Coolea is made by their son Dick junior. Dicky grew up in the dairy playing around the vats and moulds and helping his mother. His knowledge and instinct for cheesemaking is striking. Dick senior has retired from farming and the cheese is now made from the milk of two neighbouring herds.
