An important part of the process of making feta cheese is turning the cheese to allow the whey to rise to the top. Here, workers at Holmestead Cheese Sales in Nicholsville perform this task. Over the past nearly 30 years, Holmestead has become Nova Scotia’s largest independent cheese producer and one of the leading suppliers of feta cheese in Canada. - John DeCoste
By John DeCoste
Kings County-based Holmestead Cheese Sales will hopefully be better positioned for the future, thanks to $60,000 in federal funding.
West Nova MP Greg Kerr announced the funding for the Nicholsville business, provided through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). The money, in the form of a repayable business loan, will allow Holmestead to purchase and install new refrigeration equipment, upgrade their existing pasteurizer and make other facility renovations.
Holmestead co-owner Susan Holmes Tziolas confirmed last week the company had just completed a large expansion within the past year.
“We’re finishing a walk-in cooler and some equipment upgrades,” she said. “This is an exciting time for our company. The equipment purchases and upgrades will help us to expand our customer base and introduce our product to new markets.”
Holmestead is currently Nova Scotia’s larges independent cheese producer and one of the leading suppliers of feta cheese in Canada.
The new refrigeration equipment, Holmes Tziolas said, “will allow us to have more product on hand for (anticipated) increased orders of feta cheese.”
At present, the company, now close to 30 years old, sells Canada-wide and is in Sobey’s and Loblaw’s in the retail sector. They also sell their product on-site.
A more recent sideline for the company is olives and olive oil, which are being imported from the Mediterranean and sold on-site. Holmestead is also expanding into other specialty cheeses, such as ricotta and parmesan.
“We’re trying to go further with that and with the feta,” Holmes Tziolas said.
She added that the company is also now part of the Global Food Safety program, which among other things, allows for a uniform system of inspection Canada-wide. “We’re trying to upgrade our inspection facility criteria as well.”
In making the announcement of the loan, Kerr said, “support for rural businesses is an example of how our government is trying to move the economy forward.
“For nearly 30 years, Holmestead Cheese has been creating opportunities within its community as an employer, wholesaler and advocate of engaging locally produced supplies and services. We’re pleased to assist them in their next stage of development,” he said.
