Case study: Holy Goat Cheese

Dairy RegTech sheds light on Holy Goat

Participating in the Dairy RegTech pilot was a valuable experience for Holy Goat Cheese.

Carla Meurs and Ann-Marie Monda own the Central Victorian organic farmhouse cheese operation. Together with their team of 11 staff, they produce 14 to 15 tonnes a year of cheese from the milk collected from their 96-head goat herd on Sutton Grange Organic Farm. Their focus is on high quality produce and sustainability, for their land and water, animals and people.

Carla said Dairy RegTech’s tailored approach made the engagement with Dairy Food Safety Victoria (DFSV) constructive and encouraged continuous improvement.

She said both aspects of Dairy Reg Tech – the maximised use of data and the food safety culture assessment – were useful for the business.

“The data was revealing and useful. It was good for the whole team to see it because it some areas we were doing better than we thought we were,” she said.

The food safety culture assessment showed the team how mature aspects of that culture is at their business, giving them a baseline from which to improve. The anonymous all-employee survey allowed people to give honest answers.

“We thought we had a good culture and good communication, but through Dairy RegTech we saw through the eyes of our workers and now we look to them for their opinions and insights, which has led us to set shared goals and aspirations, to drive improvements at our business.”

Carla and Ann-Marie ran a session with their team using the food safety culture maturity model to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses – and importantly, where they want to improve.

They found by listening to staff’s opinions, they increased engagement and buy-in.

“The more people are engaged, the more people take responsibility. If they feel valued and supported, they call things out, do the right thing, and don’t take short cuts.”

She encouraged dairy manufacturers of any size, including small manufacturers, to transition to Dairy RegTech.

“Use the data and work with your team to improve food safety culture.”

Carla sees Dairy RegTech having benefits for her business and the whole industry.

“The outcomes would be excellent food safety in all aspects of the business - leading to a safer and higher quality product, and a more engaged and happier workplace.”