April 24, 2025 • 4 mins
Social media's latest obsession is ... cottage cheese!
High protein, low calorie recipes with the ingredient at its centre are going viral.
Sales are now through the roof, with Woolworths up 50 percent in the past three months.
Owner of organic cheese maker, the Cheese Wheel, Kevin Jenkins talks to Tim Beveridge about the craze.
LISTEN ABOVE.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk zed Be
follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
There's a new craze. Apparently it involves cottage cheese. High protein,
low calorie. Recipes that include the dairy product are sending
social media into something of a frenzy. Sales going through
the roof Fonterra up sixty percent in the past twelve months,
Woolworth's up fifty percent in the past three months alone.
(00:38):
Kevin Hagen is the owner of Organic Cheesemaker, the Cheese
Barn and the Wykatto region and Kevin joins me.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Now good a good tam, thanks for having me. I'll
actually Kevin Jenkins, I'm from a company called a Cheese Wheel.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Oh my goodness. Well, I don't know where we got
that going from.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
That's okay, isn't it? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Sorry? Okay, Well, anyway, are you seeing this increase in
demand as well?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yes, we are, And funny enough, I started eating more
cottage cheese a few months ago, so I don't know
what's happening. I already got the role with childs in it. Hey,
but I do have another message, Tim, and that is
about thirty arts and cheesemakers in New Zealand, and most
of them can't get their product to market. Supermarkets and
dellies just don't stock them, and so they do it hard.
(01:26):
So what I do, what our firm does is we've
put four each month in a box and we deliver
it to your door. And that's growing as well. And
there is more interesting cotta of cheese and no surprise.
But my message is it's an entry level drug. You know,
enjoy it. But once you've got the hang of cottage cheese,
look around and start to hunt down some of the
(01:49):
even more delicious New Zealand cheese.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, you don't need to sell me on the on
the artisan cheese is. I'm a big fan of that
stuff myself, But what do you I mean, the social media,
it's amazing how powerful it is with them with just
influencing one particular type of cheese. And I guess the
thing is, I mean, you can have your luxury artisan cheese,
but the cottage cheese can be sort of daily staple.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Isn't that you can exactly? But hey, the ads and
cheese is they're not already that expensive. I mean some are, sure,
only because they take a long time to make well
or of the trick of the cottage cheese. You can
make it at home. All of it does is curdled
milk essentially, and yet it the next day, whereas like
some of the more expensive cheeses, is something you can
put it on the shelf for five ten years. You know, delicious,
so right, and it's work with it.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
What do you think is going to happen with this
cottage cheese craze? Is it going to be going to
be something that keeps going? Is the market going to
be met by supply? I mean, is the demand going
to be met by supply or what do you think?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Yeah? I think it can be because for the look,
if you look at the economics of it, small ads
and cheesemakers, you'll often see them also make yogurt and
things like cottage cheese and other fresh cheeses because they
can turn it around quickly. You know, if you have
to put cheese, even like soft cheese like a can
and beer breestyle, if you have to put on the
shelf for a few months, there's some money tied up, right,
So I think it will be. And also, you know,
let's be honest, it's delicious and you can use it
(03:05):
in all sorts of different ways seen to.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I mean, this demand is quite unusual, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Well, it is. You know, when I was a kid,
I thought I associated cottage cheese with for fees and
the like, you know, and I wouldn't touch with the
bashbold did and taste of anything. I've sort of grown up,
you know, it's sort of it's a lot. It's a
lot better than what I thought. It's great stuff. And
like I said, I'm eating a lot more of it myself.
But hey, I keep saying it. Don't stop there, you know,
sears you out some of the more flavors and cheeses,
some of the age cheeses, some of the soft and
(03:32):
hard cheeses that New Zealand makes. But like I won't
go away no cheese. The consumption of cheese all around
the world has been grown since the Second World War,
and it continues to grow. And the percentage of that
growth that there's garbison cheese is growing even more all
around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Good stuff, Kevin. And if people want to get your
stuff out of mind, you're throwing throwing your contact out
that it's a cheese, Well, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, it's www. The Cheesewheel dot co dot nz. Sign
up now and your life will be better.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Okay, there we go. Get your hands on some cheese.
Quite remarkable though it's simple. Just be one of those
things that kept caught a wave and cottage cheesus the thing.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
For more from News Talks ed B. Listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk zed Be
follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
There's a new craze. Apparently it involves cottage cheese. High protein,
low calorie. Recipes that include the dairy product are sending
social media into something of a frenzy. Sales going through
the roof Fonterra up sixty percent in the past twelve months,
Woolworth's up fifty percent in the past three months alone.
(00:38):
Kevin Hagen is the owner of Organic Cheesemaker, the Cheese
Barn and the Wykatto region and Kevin joins me.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Now good a good tam, thanks for having me. I'll
actually Kevin Jenkins, I'm from a company called a Cheese Wheel.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Oh my goodness. Well, I don't know where we got
that going from.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
That's okay, isn't it? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Sorry? Okay, Well, anyway, are you seeing this increase in
demand as well?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yes, we are, And funny enough, I started eating more
cottage cheese a few months ago, so I don't know
what's happening. I already got the role with childs in it. Hey,
but I do have another message, Tim, and that is
about thirty arts and cheesemakers in New Zealand, and most
of them can't get their product to market. Supermarkets and
dellies just don't stock them, and so they do it hard.
(01:26):
So what I do, what our firm does is we've
put four each month in a box and we deliver
it to your door. And that's growing as well. And
there is more interesting cotta of cheese and no surprise.
But my message is it's an entry level drug. You know,
enjoy it. But once you've got the hang of cottage cheese,
look around and start to hunt down some of the
(01:49):
even more delicious New Zealand cheese.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, you don't need to sell me on the on
the artisan cheese is. I'm a big fan of that
stuff myself, But what do you I mean, the social media,
it's amazing how powerful it is with them with just
influencing one particular type of cheese. And I guess the
thing is, I mean, you can have your luxury artisan cheese,
but the cottage cheese can be sort of daily staple.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Isn't that you can exactly? But hey, the ads and
cheese is they're not already that expensive. I mean some are, sure,
only because they take a long time to make well
or of the trick of the cottage cheese. You can
make it at home. All of it does is curdled
milk essentially, and yet it the next day, whereas like
some of the more expensive cheeses, is something you can
put it on the shelf for five ten years. You know, delicious,
so right, and it's work with it.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
What do you think is going to happen with this
cottage cheese craze? Is it going to be going to
be something that keeps going? Is the market going to
be met by supply? I mean, is the demand going
to be met by supply or what do you think?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Yeah? I think it can be because for the look,
if you look at the economics of it, small ads
and cheesemakers, you'll often see them also make yogurt and
things like cottage cheese and other fresh cheeses because they
can turn it around quickly. You know, if you have
to put cheese, even like soft cheese like a can
and beer breestyle, if you have to put on the
shelf for a few months, there's some money tied up, right,
So I think it will be. And also, you know,
let's be honest, it's delicious and you can use it
(03:05):
in all sorts of different ways seen to.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I mean, this demand is quite unusual, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Well, it is. You know, when I was a kid,
I thought I associated cottage cheese with for fees and
the like, you know, and I wouldn't touch with the
bashbold did and taste of anything. I've sort of grown up,
you know, it's sort of it's a lot. It's a
lot better than what I thought. It's great stuff. And
like I said, I'm eating a lot more of it myself.
But hey, I keep saying it. Don't stop there, you know,
sears you out some of the more flavors and cheeses,
some of the age cheeses, some of the soft and
(03:32):
hard cheeses that New Zealand makes. But like I won't
go away no cheese. The consumption of cheese all around
the world has been grown since the Second World War,
and it continues to grow. And the percentage of that
growth that there's garbison cheese is growing even more all
around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Good stuff, Kevin. And if people want to get your
stuff out of mind, you're throwing throwing your contact out
that it's a cheese, Well, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, it's www. The Cheesewheel dot co dot nz. Sign
up now and your life will be better.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Okay, there we go. Get your hands on some cheese.
Quite remarkable though it's simple. Just be one of those
things that kept caught a wave and cottage cheesus the thing.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
For more from News Talks ed B. Listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.