News & Events

2008 Events

Opportunities for you to talk with us in-person and of course taste a delicious selection of Natural Pastures award-winning artisan cheeses!

6th Annual EAT! Vancouver

BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, BC, Canada – May 23, 24 & 25, 2008. Read more

6th Annual Qualicum Wine Festival

March 8, 2008. Hors d'oeuvres and wine, are all inclusive in the $25 ticket. For more info contact Merv Lloyd at 250 738-0140 or mervlloyd@shaw.ca.

9th Annual West Coast Women’s Show

Beban Park Recreation Centre, Nanaimo, BC, Canada – March 1-2, 2008

The 16th Annual Wellness Show

Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, Exhibit Hall B & C. 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada (under the five sails) – February 1, 2 & 3, 2008. Read more.

Annual Canadian Restaurant & Foodservices Association Show

BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, BC, Canada – January 27-28, 2008

News Releases

2008

Tamara

Natural Pastures featured on CTV News “Taste of Home” with Tamara Taggart

Watch Tamara’s visit to our cheese plant as our master cheesemaker Paul Sutter demonstrates how we make our delicious Mozzarella di Bufala.

Natural Pastures first on the Island to produce a world champion cheese.

Comox Valley Echo – Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The best brie in the world is produced right here in the Comox Valley. “We start with good milk from the Valley and then we really just put a lot of effort into making a nice, beautiful cheese.” Photos and read more.

Natural Pastures earns international acclaim

Business Vancouver Island, April 2008 issue. Read more.

Natural Pastures Cheeses are World Championship Gold and Silver Medallists!

COURTENAY, BC – April 1, 2008

Natural Pastures Cheese Comox Brie recently earned the pinnacle World Championship Gold Medal, in the 27th biennial Contest (WCC). As the first World Championship cheese ever produced from Vancouver Island and first WCC gold medal Brie ever from western Canada, Natural Pastures Cheese Company’s reputation as a premier Canadian cheese producer is strengthened. Read more.

2007

Natural Pastures wins Ten New National Awards!

COURTENAY, BC – December 14, 2007

Expert judges recently conferred ten new national awards to Natural Pastures Cheeses from the Comox Valley, including a coveted win at the British Empire Cheese Competition hosted by the Central Ontario Cheesemaker Association. Natural Pastures Mozzarella di Bufala is the third place winner of the Class 12 category, Pasta Filata Type of the 2007 British Empire competition, judged with large, leading cheese companies’ entries. This is a brand new mozzarella for Canada, as it is the only mozzarella made from the only Canadian herd of water buffalo raised at Fairburn Farms in Duncan. Read more.

Island Fresh – Comox Valley food producers receiving national attention

Times Colonist — September 2, 2007

Local ingredients enhance chef Bishop’s visit

Comox Valley Record — August 29, 2007

See the menu from John Bishop’s Book Launch Luncheon on August 22, 2007.

la nouvelle Provence

BC Business magazine, June 2007

Cheese-maker Smith is much more positive about the Provence message. He was one of the first to raise the idea after Eric Akis, the Victoria Times-Colonist newspaper’s food columnist, described the east coast of the Island as “the new Provence.” “I’ve been to Provence,” Smith says. “We have the same pristine and pure soils, the Mediterranean climate and the coastal, salt-laden winds.” Comox also has a unique terroir, the flavour of the soil that comes through in the food, be it milk or grapes. Smith says it is the terroir that has won his cheeses numerous medals. “What we don’t have is the same relationship between the farmers and consumers,” Smith continues. “Few restaurants buy locally. Little of our produce is stocked on store shelves. Processing of our produce isn’t done locally.”

That is about to change, Read more…

Curdling till the buffalo come home

Cinda Chavich
Special to The Globe and Mail
June 13, 2007 at 7:14 AM EDT

DUNCAN, B.C. — The orb of pristine cheese in Paul Sutter's hand is soft and shiny, the picture of youth in the cheese world.

"It's very delicate at this point," says the Courtenay, B.C., cheese maker, cradling the day-old white mozzarella in his palm like an oversized poached egg.

This cheese is like any good ball of fresh Italian bocconcini, but it's the first artisan buffalo-milk mozzarella commercially made in Canada. It's moist on the inside, with the typical striated layers created by stretching the warmed mass of freshly coagulated curds. It's encased in a tight, thin skin, formed when the cheese is pulled and hand-pinched into a neat round ball. Read more…

2006

Comox Valley Tourism’s annual Land of Plenty Award

From Comox Valley Tourism, April 4, 2006

Sponsored by the North Vancouver Island Chef’s Association

The winner of the 2005 Land of Plenty Award has done more to put the Comox Valley on the map in recent years than any of us could have ever imagined. They have won awards the world over for promoting the things that many of us take for granted — amazing air, land and water quality that produces high quality artisan food for the world to enjoy.

This company has also been active in promoting agri-investment, agri-tourism and culinary tourism initiatives in the Comox Valley. Through their actions they have encouraged others to embrace locally produced foods as a way to celebrate our community and support the local economy.

They source as many of their ingredients as possible locally and their products have been featured on cheeseboards at the House of Parliament and Rideau Hall. They represent the kind of innovation and creativity that will continue to put the Comox Valley on the culinary map.

This year’s winner of the new Land of Plenty Award is Natural Pastures Cheese Company.

2005

Natural Pastures wins at Royal Agricultural Winter Fair!

COURTENAY, B.C. –  Natural Pastures Cheese Company from the Comox Valley has won ten more prestigious awards at the 2005 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. Natural Pastures Cracked Pepper Verdelait placed first in its open category and is the Reserve Champion of the entire 2005 variety cheese competition. Comox Camembert and Comox Brie are the 2005 winners of second and third respectively in the soft cheese category of Canada’s largest and well-known Agricultural Fair. Also winning awards in the top of their categories are Cumin Verdelait (2nd), Pacific Pepper (3rd) made with local Paper Lantern habanero peppers and La Scala (5th). Natural Pastures cheeses are winners of five of all eight awards in the open category; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th. What a delicious sweep! These recent Royal Fair awards continue Natural Pastures Cheese’s winning tradition, adding to previous awards for a total of 26 national and international awards 2002-2005. Many of Natural Pastures’ delicious cheeses are gold medal winners of the prestigious biannual Canadian Grand Prix Cheese competitions (2002 and 2004) and Comox Camembert is the 4th place winner of the 2004 World Cheese Championship. You’re invited to savour pure winners!

Read more

2004

Two 1st place Awards at British Empire Show

November 26, 2004 - Another clean sweep for Natural Pastures Cheese Company as they win two further 1st place awards at the esteemed 77th annual British Empire Cheese Show. On this occasion it was their Amsterdammer, in the Semi Firm category and their Garlic and Chives Verdelait in the Flavoured Firm category that stole the show.

Seven Awards at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

Natural Pastures win several more prestigious awards at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. Judging carried out at Canada's largest and well known Agricultural Fair recognized seven award winning cheeses crafted by our Swiss Master Cheesemaker.

BC’s Natural Pastures Cheese WORTH ITS TASTE IN GOLD

COMOX CAMEMBERT FOURTH IN THE WORLD

2002

VANCOUVER ISLAND ARTISAN CHEESE COMPANY WINS Three Category Champion CANADIAN CHEESE GRAND PRIX AWARDS

Events & Marketing Activity

CORNUCOPIA – WHISTLER'S FOOD & WINE CELEBRATION

NOVEMBER 9–13, 2005

Natural Pastures Cheese Company will be participating in Whistler’s most exciting food and wine festival again for a third year, to showcase and promote Natural Pastures’ world-class, award-winning artisan cheeses amidst an exciting lineup of talent, including wine experts and celebrity chefs. You’re invited to sample—and savour—Natural Pastures delicious cheeses at Cornucopia’s events.

DAIRY FARMERS OF CANADA'S FIRST CANADIAN CHEESE FAIR

WESTIN HOTEL, CALGARY ON OCTOBER 12, 2004

Natural Pastures Cheese Co will be attending the first canadian Cheese Fair hosted by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. We look forward to this new event and the opportunity to showcase our products and meet with influential clientele from the Cheese Industry.

 

CANADIAN CHEESE FAIR NATURAL PASTURES CHEESE COMPANY SPONSOR "THE COOLEST CAT IN COMOX"

It seemed only fitting that Natural Pastures Cheese Company were one of four sponsors for the new Olympic Tornado "Wine & Cheese". The twin-hull catermeran was launched on Sunday, May 16, 2004 at a wine and cheese reception attended by Comox Mayor Jim Brass in Comox. After a traditional champagne christening by the Mayor, the Olympic Tornado was put through its paces by brothers Stuart and Andrew Robinson in front of the media and VIP's who had been taken out in a Comox Valley Adventures Zodiac to get close to the action. . . read on

VANCOUVER ISLAND FARMERS MARKETS