Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Company Holdings Limited (WCB) is an Australian-based company manufacturing

dairy products Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are Food product, food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, dairy goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include commo ...

, majority-owned by

Saputo Inc. Saputo Inc. is a Canadian dairy company based in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1954 by the Saputo family. It produces, markets, and distributes a wide array of dairy products, including cheese, fluid milk, extended shelf-life milk and cream prod ...

, a Canadian company, that manufactures a range of

dairy product Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...

s under various brands. The business is based in Allansford,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and is the oldest dairy processor in Australia, having been established in 1888. It owns cheese brands

COON Coon may refer to: Fauna Butterflies * Coon, common name of the butterfly ''Astictopterus jama'' * Coon, species group of the butterfly genus ''Atrophaneura'', now genus ''Losaria'' * Coon, common name of the butterfly '' Psolos fuligo'' Ma ...

and Cracker Barrel.

History

Early history

The company was registered on 28 May 1888 and the construction of factory facilities followed. In fact, two co-operative companies opened cheese and butter factories in Victoria in 1888; the first to open, on 22 October, was the Cobden and District Cheese and Butter Factory Company Ltd, and then on 14 November the Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Co. Ltd. opened their factory in Allansford. At the start, the main product was cream, which was taken to Melbourne by rail. Initially, Warrnambool Cheese & Butter sourced their milk from local farmers, and in 1889 all suppliers became shareholders.

Butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

production expanded during the 1890s, and by 1900, Victoria had 304 butter factories.

Kraft Walker takes over (1934)

In November 1934

Kraft Walker Cheese Co. Fred Walker (5 January 1884 – 21 July 1935) was an Australian businessman and founder of Fred Walker & Co. (two incarnations, the first in Hong Kong, the second in Melbourne) and the Fred Walker Company in Melbourne. He also set up Kraft W ...

leased the factory owned by Warrnambool Cheese & Butter and expanded operations. Kraft Walker began manufacturing "Red Coon" (later to be renamed COON) cheese, around July 1931.

Takeover of Lion Dairy & Drinks (2015)

In 2015, WCB paid for a part of

Lion Dairy & Drinks Bega Dairy & Drinks is a subsidiary of Australian diversified food company Bega Cheese, having been purchased from the Japanese company Kirin (who owns Lion in Australia) in November 2020. While owned by Kirin, it was known as Lion Dairy & D ...

' business, including the cheese brands Cracker Barrel and COON.

Current business

the company produces cheese, butter, cream and dairy ingredients, roughly half of which is sold overseas. Local brands include the Sungold milk,

Coon cheese Cheer (stylised as CHEER), formerly marketed as Coon, is the Australian trademark of a cheddar cheese (known as "tasty" in Australia) produced by the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter company, which is majority-owned by Canadian dairy company Sapu ...

, Cracker Barrel, Mil Lel, Great Ocean Road and Warrnambool Cheddar cheeses. It is also one of the two Australian producers making

nutraceutical A nutraceutical or bioceutical is a pharmaceutical alternative which claims physiological benefits. In the US, "nutraceuticals" are largely unregulated, as they exist in the same category as dietary supplements and food additives by the FDA, unde ...

products from milk extracts, including bone supplements and

baby formula Infant formula, baby formula, or simply formula (American English); or baby milk, infant milk or first milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepar ...

. They also own and run the tourist attraction called ''Cheese World'', close to the factory, which includes a dairy farm museum and an opportunity to sample cheeses, as well as a shop and cafe.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.wcbf.com.au/ Dairy products companies of Australia Cheesemakers Australian cheeses Food and drink companies established in 1888 Warrnambool