King’s royal seal of approval for cheesemaker’s new HQ

A Lancashire cheesemaker hit by a devastating fire in 2023 was today welcoming The King to open its new state-of-the-art headquarters.

King Charles III was unveiling Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses new ‘cheese campus’ - which will nurture its products from beginning to end on the farm.

The official opening comes two years after a devastating fire at Butlers’ Longridge office and packing site in November 2023, where hundreds of tonnes of cheese stock were lost just six weeks before Christmas.

The fourth-generation family cheesemakers have rebuilt while continuing operations from their rural Lancashire dairy in Inglewhite, supporting their people, maintaining milk supply and supplying customers across the UK with British hard, blue and soft farmhouse cheeses.

During the visit, The King was meeting three generations of the family along with Butlers’ longest standing employee and head cheese grader, Bill Yates, who has 36 years of service.

He was also meeting Butler’s head cheesemaker, Tim Fisher, who has been with the business for 35 years.

Local suppliers from James Hall & Co and J Wareing & Son were also sharing their part in the campus build with The King, representing a number of local Lancashire businesses that were pivotal in bringing Butlers’ campus vision to life.

His Majesty was beginning the visit with second-generation owner Jean Butler, 87, reviewing historical records and hearing stories from Butlers’ nearly century-long cheesemaking history.

He was then touring the campus to take in each stage of Butlers’ farmhouse cheesemaking craft, from milk to maturation, grading, cutting and packing.

A commemorative plaque was then being unveiled in front of a select group of invited guests, including farmers, partners, suppliers, customers and staff who were integral to the post-fire rebuild

Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses campus has been specifically designed to pair modern technologies with traditional farmhouse cheesemaking techniques, protecting Butlers’ farmhouse craft while supporting the business’s long-term sustainability and growth. 

Speaking before the visit Matthew Hall, the fourth-generation owner of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, said: “This is a defining moment in our history. Rather than replacing what we lost in the fire, we have chosen to make a generational investment for the long-term.

“Our campus represents everything we stand for - respect for our craft, belief in the resilience of our people, and a long-term commitment to doing things the right way.

“To welcome His Majesty The King to officially open it is an incredibly proud moment for our family, team and the wider Lancashire community.”

The campus boasts a number of sustainability credentials and aims to reduce road traffic and food miles by approximately 50 per cent compared to operating across two sites.

The build used rubble from the fire site to create connecting paths, and the campus includes a new, state-of-the-art maturation shed, uniquely designed to meet the individual needs of Butlers’ hard, blue and soft cheeses.

The campus also aims to unlock opportunities for skills development, training and careers across cheesemaking, operations and specialist roles such as data science and AI.

Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses has been hand crafting farmhouse cheese since 1932, using milk from the family herd and local farms within a 10-mile radius.

Today, the business produces multi-award-winning speciality British hard, blue and soft cheeses made with cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk, supplying independents, national retailers and consumers across the UK directly from its online cheese store.