Eamonn and Patricia Lonergan began making cheese on the family farm in Ballyneety, Co. Waterford in 1987. The farm, situated in the Blackwater Valley, has some of the best grazing land in Ireland.
Lonergan's father worked hard to cultivate a pedigree herd of Friesian cattle and this is still a key aspect of the farm. The land, coupled with the quality of herd, helps Knockanore to produce the best milk. In turn, this is produced into an accessible cheddar cheese, using a combination of traditional and modern cheesemaking and ageing techniques.
Knockanore Farmhouse Cheese is owned and managed by Eamonn and Patricia Lonergan. The award-winning cheeses are made on site at Knockanore farm from milk sourced from our pedigree Friesian herd. We employ mainly local individuals who are trained to the highest standards. In 2012 the company grew significantly gaining new listings with the multiple stores including Tesco, Aldi, Dunne’s Stores, Musgraves SuperValu and Centra. This resulted in a dramatic increase in turnover. This increase has further carried over due to contract cheese production for other companies. We were a part of the LIDL Ireland Kickstart promotion in 2017. Our Oakwood Smoked Cheese won a medal in the Irish and World Cheese Awards in 2012. In 2019 Knockanore Oakwood Smoked Cheese won a gold medal at the Cais Irish Cheese Awards and a gold medal at the Ornua Kerrygold Cheese awards held during the Listowel Food Festival.
