An interview with Brad & Beth Cunningham, makers of Yr Afr Cheese in North Wales

Brad and Beth Cunningham make Yr Afr (which translates as ‘The Goat’ in Welsh) in Bethesda, North Wales. Andy interviewed them to find out what makes these fantastic cheese-makers tick.

Give a brief synopsis of your business and career.
We originally lived in Rossendale with Brad working as a Mechanical Engineer and Beth training as a solicitor.
After some time tinkering in our family kitchen trying to make goats cheese (with varying success), Beth was given a job opportunity in North Wales so we both made the decision to move and get a small herd of 5 goats and rented a small section of a local farm. We then were put in touch with Carrie Rimes of Cosyn Cymru who makes some exceptional sheep’s cheese and from there we were given the option by Carrie to take our love of cheesemaking to the next level and rent a section of her dairy to follow our passion. And here we are!

What made you get into doing what you do?
Quite simply our love of cheese! We used to go to our local cheesemongers quite regularly in Manchester and it was just a couple of YouTube video’s later that we started making some very interesting (and slightly scary) cheeses in our home kitchen.

What is your philosophy for your food/business?
Our main philosophy is making cheese using locally, sustainably and environmentally conscious raw goats milk. The farmers who we work with (Snowdonia Goat Company) are excellent at this and Huw and Liz both work full time whilst maintaining the highest welfare and quality of what they do, and they’ve supported us since day 1 when we asked them to reopen the dairy and supply us with milk which was a huge risk for them.
Another aspect to our business which we have adopted since working at Carrie Rime’s at Cosyn Cymru is adopting Welsh language with our products. The Welsh language and culture is really important where we live and operate (and really interesting), being able to help promote the growth of the language is something we really want to be a part of.

Describe a typical working day.
The days vary through the week as we only collect milk twice a week currently but usually the day starts at around 6AM getting to the dairy then jobs such as moulding the curds, flipping, salting and then making on some days. Much of the time though it’s cleaning! We usually finish somewhere around 3PM with a final visit to the dairy between 7-8PM for the younger Yr Afr to have their second flip.

What’s the best part of your job? And do you have a favourite memory from work?
Our favourite days are ‘Make Days’. Being able to go to the herd and see the goats and then take the milk to the dairy, warm it up, culture and set the whole process off is really rewarding. Especially seeing how the milk changes throughout the year due to the seasonal variation and weather. Our favourite memory is probably Brad spilling 20L of milk over himself!

When you are at home what is your staple dish for the family?
When we were students we had a really simple dish which we still refer to as ‘Chicken Thing’. It was grilled chicken, sliced bacon, cream cheese and a really tangy cheddar which became a real treat. We still make this however we now use Yr Afr instead of Cheddar which goes down a storm with our daughter!

What is your favourite place to go eat?
When the sun is shining, we have a pizza van called Flame and Grain just outside the dairy who have an outdoor seating area near the river. It’s hard to turn down after a day in the dairy as the pizza’s are amazing.

Do you have any other hidden foodie gems you think are worth people knowing about?
If you’re ever in Menai Bridge on Anglesey, there’s a cheese shop and deli called &Caws who organises a great food night every Friday with small plates (and a smashing cheese fondue). They also sell some tasty homemade Focaccia sandwiches during the day!

Do you have a favourite cheese at the moment? If so, why is it your favourite?
We go through phases but Carrie (Cosyn Cymru) makes a hard Caerphilly-style cheese called Caws Chwaral which we can’t put down at the moment. Our other go-to goats’ cheese is Sinodun Hill by Norton and Yarrow.

What couldn’t you live without?
With the obvious one being goats’ cheese, we would probably say second to that would be bread. We (really) love bread…

Where do you look for inspiration in your business?
For Brad, whenever he’s lacking inspiration, he’ll usually restart his audiobook of Ned Palmer’s ‘A Cheesemonger’s History Of The British Isles’ which spurred on the whole passion project in the early days. For Beth however it would be a visit to our local cheesemonger!

What is the best success you’ve had with your product?
Despite winning our awards at the Artisan Cheese Fair and the Dougal Campbell Award last year, our biggest success has been reaching a point to allow Brad to take the business as a full-time endeavour and having the support of well-respected cheesemongers and cheesemakers.
We aren’t the first to say this either but being taken on by The Courtyard Dairy, Neal’s Yard Dairy, La Fromagerie and The Welsh Cheese Company was a huge milestone for us and one we are very proud of.
What are your plans for the future?
We are currently working on a second cheese but at the same time not trying to rush it. This year will be a big year for us in terms of establishing the business so whilst we are keen to bring out a second cheese, we do want to enjoy the journey. Also, the farmers who supply our milk are very conscious of not growing the herd too quickly which we really get behind. Watch this space!

What’s your favourite way to cook your cheese?
We like to stick a whole Yr Afr in a small terracotta pot, drizzle it with some local honey, then bake it in the oven at 180 Degrees Celsius (fan) for 18 minutes. A nice bit of sourdough bread and some cornichon’s then it’s a party!

You can buy Yr Afr here, and don’t forget to follow Brad and Beth on Instagram too!

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