Cheese lovers may soon be able to enjoy Australian specialty cheese made with pure jersey milk and the boundless passion of the Australian cheesemaker idol announced in Melbourne on Monday night February 6. Erica Dibden, a dairy farmer from Tilba Tilba on the far South Coast of NSW, was awarded the 2006 Dairy Australia Cheesemaker Scholarship.She was chosen from a field of 77 people across the nation. Other entrants included a diverse range of people, such as dairy farmers, a sports dietician, a police officer, chefs, teachers, and food retailers.

With her husband Nic, Ms Dibden owns a medium-to-large registered jersey stud where she has been the financial controller and heifer rearing manager for the past eight years.

The scholarship will enable Ms Dibden to pursue her passion for cheesemaking, which developed six years ago while she experimented with making cheese and various milk products in her kitchen.

This led to her completing cheesemaking courses in Canberra, Perth and Melbourne and an even greater passion for making cheese.

Ms Dibden is determined to achieve her dream of making specialty cheese in her home town of Tilba Tilba.

She has renovated the old Tilba Tilba Hall on her property and prepared a detailed business plan for her venture.

“I would like to make and sell my specialty cheeses alongside quality Australian wines,” Ms Dibden said.

“I believe we can elevate Australian specialty cheese to the same status as boutique wines.

“The scholarship will help me lift the profile of the speciality cheese industry,” she said.

Dairy Australia’s product innovation manager Stuart Quigley said: “We are thrilled the scholarship has gone to someone so passionate about the industry and committed to taking action and turning their dream into a reality.

“The many diverse, interesting and high-quality applicants made it difficult to choose a winner,” Mr Quigley said.

“Some were looking for a sea change while others wanted the opportunity to learn the art of cheesemaking from the world’s best cheesemakers.”

A panel comprising representatives of Dairy Australia and the National Centre for Dairy Education – Australia carefully chose the winner.

Dairy Australia and leading cheesemaking companies Lactos Tasmania, King Island Dairy and Milawa Cheese Company are backing the scholarship and will provide Ms Dibden with practical experience.

The scholarship consists of 13 days at the National Centre for Dairy Education – Australia; 15 days with some of Australia’s top cheesemaking companies, 13 days working with European specialty cheesemakers and a week at Dairy Australia.

“While Erica won’t learn the entire art of cheesemaking in 45 days, the scholarship will help her take the final steps to achieving her dream,” Mr Quigley said.

The previous scholarship winner, Kate Woodward of Muswellbrook in the NSW Hunter Valley went on to establish her own specialty cheese business, Hunter Belle Cheese.

The winner of the Cheesemaker Scholarship was announced at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards.

Since they began in 1999, the Australian Grand Dairy Awards has recognised quality, excellence and innovation in Australian dairy produce.