Nominee Summary
Isle of Mull Cheese is a family run dairy farm on Mull, making cheese for 40 years from their own herd of dairy cattle. The business has been successful in its cheese business, and also operates a busy shop and cafe, as well as a small pig enterprise. Over the years the business has wondered about what innovative methods could be implemented to use the whey by-product from the cheesemaking. Following investigation of a range of options, the business is now using the whey to make alcohol, producing a range of spirits & liqueurs.
The approach of your nominee
The project was driven by a desire to find a higher-value use for whey, a by-product of cheesemaking that contains valuable lactose sugars and other nutrients. Rather than treating it as waste, the business saw an opportunity to create a new product and maximise the value of every litre of milk. Although whey can be used to produce alcohol, the process remains uncommon in the UK, reflecting the business's innovative approach. The project embodies a circular economy by reducing waste, creating added value and embracing the family's culture of practical problem-solving, creativity and continuous innovation.
Overcoming Challenges
The business had to design and built a bespoke distillery, alongside specialist equipment to ensure compatibility with the current technology in the cheesemaking, as well as yeast-growing equipment. Significant technical innovation was required, particularly in understanding whey composition and identifying the limited yeast strains capable of breaking down lactose—knowledge that has enabled the business to grow the yeast in-house. With whey not being ordinarily used for making consumer products, especially not in the UK, information on how to do it was very limited, and so therefore also was advice on how exactly to build, particularly when requiring integration to setups and equipment already in place across the farm. Further innovation includes a bespoke hot water heating system for the stills, integrated with the farm’s renewable energy sources, replacing conventional steam systems. The project faced considerable challenges, from COVID-19 disruptions during construction to the complexity of designing equipment compatible with existing cheesemaking operations. The business also continues to address market challenges, focusing on communicating the product’s sustainability, provenance and responding to consumer interests - being made from whey being un-common the average customer needs a bit of explanation to understand what they are buying which offered both challenges and opportunities.
The impact of innovation
The innovation has brought the business many opportunities, after years of making one primary product, its diversified the business, building resilience as well as adding to the larder of island produced products, supporting the production of good quality and local food production. It has also created one additional full time job, and allowed 3rd generation family work in the business, with a new business to establish, offering new opportunities and challenges. The innovation is reducing the volume of whey being put on our fields, reducing fuel use & tractor time on roads to deliver the whey for disposal.
