AN INFUSION of milking genetics will help buffalo producers Geoff and Neroli Eddy achieve their vision of farmhouse cheese.

The couple, of Drumanure in the Goulburn Valley, already value-add to their buffalo meat through their roadside cafe business.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Geoff and Neroli Eddy
  • What: buffalo
  • Where: Drumanure
  • Why: meating the market
  • Report: KIM WOODS

But, they are keen to expand the range of gourmet pies and primal cuts with their own handmade buffalo cheese and yoghurt.

In a Victorian pilot program, Geoff and Neroli will have 13 buffalo heifers artificially inseminated with imported Bulgarian Murah semen in March.

Neroli said the Murah milking strain of buffalo would be used across the dual-purpose Riverine heifers to increase milk production.

"This will increase the gene pool of milking buffalo in Victoria," she said.

"We are in dairy country here and there is plenty of dairy infrastructure around to cater for a milking buffalo herd."

The project is funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

Low in cholesterol, buffalo milk has 58 per cent more calcium and 40 per cent more protein than cow's milk.

As secretary of the Victorian Buffalo Industry Council, Neroli said the industry was small with six active producer-members of meat and milking buffalo.

Herd numbers range from a few head up to 50 animals.

The Eddys were rewarded this year for their efforts within the buffalo industry and regional tourism, being named Drumanure Citizens of the Year.

Geoff, a full-time builder, and Neroli, a food technologist, moved to their 80ha property at Drumanure in 2001.

They had been running Asian and Riverine buffalo since 1994 on 24ha at Naring.

"We were townies but I had grown up on a dairy farm," Neroli said.

"Fifteen years ago, buffalo was selling for 200c/kg liveweight at the farm gate and that sparked our interest.

"We knew most livestock industries had peaks and lows but decided to give it a go."

The couple bought two cows, a heifer and a bull, with the first progeny slaughtered in 1997.

"Our herd grew to 60 animals and we were killing one a month, and mainly wholesaling meat to restaurants," Neroli said.

"I took some buffalo sausages along to a social-club barbecue at work, and the orders snowballed from there."

The couple then moved into selling buffalo meat at Victorian farmers' markets, and regional food and wine festivals.

Soon, supermarkets at Shepparton, Mooroopna and Kyabram were retailing the buffalo cuts.

"The ownership of the supermarkets changed and we lost our market virtually overnight," Neroli said.

"I had been attending the fortnightly Albury farmers' market and on the way home called at Parker Pies in Rutherglen.

"Baker Fred Parker began using our meat in his pies and won the best gourmet game pie award in 2003.

"This instantly doubled our business and allowed us to expand up to 150 head."

The Eddys used a bull with 25 per cent milking genetics to increase growth rates and carcass fat depth.

"We needed the fat in the meat to keep the moisture content otherwise it was too dry," Neroli said.

With Neroli working full-time and spending each weekend selling at markets, the couple decided to open their own cafe business.

They bought a former nursery at Wunghnu, between Shepparton and Numurkah, and opened it as a cafe in November 2005.

"Our concept was to promote farmed buffalo meat and local produce," Neroli said.

"We had to do something as people wanted the meat products but we could only refer them to the farmers markets.

"When we opened the cafe, buffalo was still foreign to people so we kept it low key.

"We had to draw people in by selling cheap local produce."

Neroli added a home-made vanilla slice and a range of gourmet game meat pies.

They were an instant success.

The gourmet pie range was expanded to include crocodile, turkey, beef, rabbit, chicken and lamb.

The Eddys' cafe is now a showcase for local artists, crafts people and regional produce.

Asian water buffalo cow, Kendra, and Riverine-cross heifer, Millie, roam a paddock at the rear of the cafe and perform tricks on command for visitors.

As a play on the name of Wunghnu (pronounced one ewe), a single Merino ewe kept them company.

Her fleece was transformed into knitted articles by locals, with the profits going towards community projects.

Today, the Eddys have 25 breeding females - still one of the bigger buffalo herds in Victoria.

Steers aged less than two years are slaughtered at 180-240kg carcass weight every six weeks.

Trim and middle cuts are used to make kabanna, salami and pies while the eye fillet is sold wholesale in Melbourne.

Scotch fillet is used by a Shepparton restaurant and rump and porterhouse are vacuum packed for retail sales through the Eddys' cafe.

"I listen to what people want and they ask for good service, quality and consistent food," Neroli said.

"As a result, we have achieved 20 per cent growth over the last 12 months."

A member of the Wunghnu community advancement group, Neroli is keen to see the town prosper.

"We have 30 different business people in this town - it is filled with creative and artistic people," she said.