The hopeful journey to Puhoi.. where the Puhoi passion began

Just 40 minutes north of Auckland you'll find the spectacular Puhoi Valley - home to New Zealand's favourite specialty cheese and a rich history.

Almost 140 years ago 86 Bohemian migrants made the long journey from the Czech Republic to a place where the sun always shone and winter did not exist - or so they were told. Each family was promised at least a 40 acre farm which was vast by European standards.

Exhausted by the 124 day journey, they arrived home to hundreds of acres of dense, unfarmable forest. Undeterred, this little community banded together to establish themselves and carve out a future for their families.

The sense of kinship born from the early settler's trials has lived through the generations and is one that Puhoi Valley cheese embraces today.

Founded in 1983, the company has grown from just two cheese makers to over 100 people dedicated to bringing New Zealanders mouth-watering specialty cheese.

At Puhoi, we satisfy the Kiwi cheese addiction by lovingly transforming fresh, delicious New Zealand milk into some of the highest quality specialty cheese in the world. With a host of NZ Champions of Cheese Awards on the factory shelf, clearly we're not the only ones who think so.

After sharing our passion for cheese for decades, in 2007 we decided to share the beauty of Puhoi with New Zealand.

We took one local photographer, let his imagination run wild in Puhoi Valley and the results were magnificent. You'll find the cover of your favourite Puhoi Valley cheese is a photograph of one of the many spectacular scenes that characterise the Puhoi landscape.

The following Puhoi Valley cheeses are wrapped in an inspirational Puhoi scene:

Oakdale Close Camembert
This cheese has been named after the beautiful Oakdale close; a homestead just outside of the Puhoi town centre. Beautiful yet understated, this image speaks volumes about the cheese it adorns.

Old Barn Brie
Puhoi Valley's Old barn brie has a soft and creamy flavour. A classic, we thought it most appropriate to name it after the old iconic barn the graces the landscape of the Puhoi River Park. The old barn, said to once have been used as a woolshed by the Wofgramm family, is now owned by the town of Puhoi.

Winding Track Double Cream Brie
Pictured on this cheese is one of many old winding country tracks found in Puhoi. Driving through the country, you feel much farther away from the big city than you really are. We thought it appropriate to name one of our most charming cheeses after the quaint little country tracks of Puhoi.

Stable Door Parmesan
Pictured on this cheese are the stable doors to the Puhoi Hotel stables in the town centre, beside the friendly old Puhoi Pub.

Forty Acre Cow Feta
Our cow feta showcases the forty acre farms allocated to each adult and 20 acres for each child that the Bohemian migrants where promised on arrival to New Zealand.