There is a hidden cheesemaker in South-East Asia that produces mozzarella di bufala

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO heritage town and one of the most popular destinations in South-East Asia. An Australian couple decided to relocate here and set up the area's first water buffalo farm.

From Australia to Southeast Asia, to produce mozzarella

Meet Susie Martin and Steven McWhirter, husband and wife who decided to move from Australia to Singapore to run a guesthouse for a year. But then their love of cheese led them to make an unusual discovery: no one in the area knew what mozzarella di bufala was. Meanwhile, however, demand from hotels and restaurants was increasing, so in 2017 they decided to jump and storm the industry by opening their own cheese making facility.

Laos Buffalo Dairy is a farm born from their passion but also, as they explained to CNN, from “a mid-life crisis, which instead of pushing us to buy a Porsche, allowed us to set a goal for ourselves”.

Buffaloes “on loan”

A sui generis company, which does not buy the animals, but rather “borrows” them from local farmers during pregnancy: each farmer brings his pregnant water buffalo to the dairy, the couple have it examined by the vet and, once the calf is born, they leave the baby with its mother for the first three weeks. Only then is the buffalo milked once a day, leaving the rest of the milk for the calf.

Once the lactation period is over, the breeder is paid by the couple according to the amount of milk acquired, about 100 dollars per buffalo. Mother and calf then return home, and eventually the buffalo is brought back to the farm in case of a new pregnancy. Some animals are left to live on the farm, but most of the milk applied for the cheese comes from the “borrowed” water buffaloes.

Mozzarella and bufala ice cream

A risky life choice for the couple, who sold their house in Australia to start the business, achieving a fair amount of success. Every day, people can visit the dairy and try the house specialities, from the Caprese salad to pumpkin spice ice cream made with buffalo milk. Tasting sessions with wine and cheese pairings are also available, and then the several dairy products can be purchased: bocconcini, ricotta, feta, yoghurt and of course mozzarella, as well as burrata (only on request).

The dairy supplies different hotels and restaurants in the area and is currently working on new products, such as Cheddar. It has also produced a free recipe book for local residents, with some advice on how to introduce buffalo milk into traditional dishes, and a child nutrition programme to ensure that families in need have nutritious food for their little ones. Employees can also count on free English lessons, even for their own children.