“I have learned that it is not sustainable to just rely on one market and it is important to work as a collective with other local cheesemakers in Indonesia. In our website and Jakarta shop, we curate natural and locally made cheese from Malang, Yogyakarta, Boyolali, and Berastagi.”
Goat cheese has a reputation of being pungent, but it boils down to how it is produced; goat cheese can be savoury, lightly sweet, nutty or mild. As Ayu Utami Linggih has learned over the years, goat cheese is still underrated but quietly garnering popularity as an alternative to cow milk cheese. It is suitable for those who are lactose intolerant and contains a good source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and probiotics.
Growing up in a household that loves cheese, Linggih decided to pursue her passion to study food science in Brisbane. “There, I learned the art of cheesemaking and decided that’s what I wanted to do. I went back to Indonesia to start my own cheesemaking business because I thought there’s a market demand and there’s an access to fresh milk,” says Linggih who started Rosalie Cheese in 2013. Naturally, nothing was easy. She had to customise most of the necessary equipment because cheesemaking equipment is alien to Indonesia and looked for a reliable goat farm, on top of producing, marketing and selling the products. Her biggest hurdle was to get the home industry license in Jakarta which was impossible. Luckily, Bali proves to be a safe haven and Linggih moved the production of her Chevre, Milton and even Cheesy Goat Grissini to Denpasar, Bali. It is also more convenient because she relies on receiving goat milk delivery from Malang, East Java.
Stamping its own style to the products by adding coconut ash and black pepper, Rosalie Cheese is also developing a line of aged goat cheese for the connoisseurs. Linggih ingeniously embraces both local and Bali’s market which mostly rely on tourism through retail, wholesale and online marketplace. “I have learned that it is not sustainable to just rely on one market and it is important to work as a collective with other local cheesemakers in Indonesia. On our website and in our Jakarta shop, we curate natural and locally made cheese from Malang, Yogyakarta, Boyolali, and Berastagi,” says Linggih who is currently in the midst of expanding her factory.
