
The Sharpham Cheese story
Celebrating over 40 years of artisan cheesemaking, Sharpham Dairy handmake a range of award-winning English cheeses in the rolling South Devon countryside close to the River Dart. Cheesemaking began in 1982, just over the hill from the current dairy, on the Sharpham Estate. It was the brainchild of estate owner and environmentalist Maurice Ash. Nowadays, Sharpham Dairy is owned by another local family, the Parsons, who are equally passionate about British cheese, the environment and their Devon home.

Greg and Nicky Parsons.
Greg and Nicky Parsons are both hands-on at the dairy and extremely proud that their small business became the very first cheesemaker in the UK to be certified as a B Corporation in 2022. B Corps are businesses who put people and planet before profit and meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
Their small, expert team of cheesemakers, with over 100 years of cheese making experience between them, is led by Production Manager, Peter Howarth. Pete earned his cheese making stripes with Sharpham's former head cheesemaker, Debbie Mumford, before her retirement.

Sharpham Dairy makes around 70 tonnes of cheese a year, using the rich milk from their own herd of cows - and sheep and goats’ milk from local, trusted family farms. The ten main cheeses are winners of many national and international awards, some several times over.
Their cheeses, and a range of complimentary chutneys and crackers, are sold mainly through wholesalers to cheesemongers, delis, farm shops and restaurants in the west country and nationwide - and direct to the public through the website shop. They’re proud to say that 70% of production is still sold within Devon.

Maurice and Ruth Ash
A potted history
Cheesemaking began at Sharpham over 40 years ago in the coach house of the 18th century Sharpham House. It was the idea of environmentalist, writer and Chair of the pioneering Dartington Trust, Maurice Ash and his wife Ruth, who bought the Sharpham Estate in 1962.
Legend has it that when milk prices slumped in the 1970s, Maurice transported his herd of Jersey cows from Essex to Devon by train, with a plan to try his hand at making his favourite cheese… and so in 1982 Sharpham Brie was born, and the dairy was at the forefront of the slow and steady revival of artisan British cheeses during the 1980s.

The old dairy on the Sharpham Estate
Family member Mark Sharman and partner Debbie Mumford soon took over the running of the dairy and new Sharpham vineyard. In 2003 they moved cheesemaking to a small, purpose-built cheese dairy next to the winery. New cheeses were introduced, and exceptional goats’ and sheep’s milk varieties launched over subsequent years.
In 2019 the wine and cheesemaking businesses were separated and sold, and the Parsons bought the dairy.
In 2022 the vineyard moved to its new home at Sandridge Barton near Stoke Gabriel. In 2024, Sharpham Dairy also moved across the river to a brand-new cheese dairy at the South Devon Food Hub at Longcombe.

The new Sharpham Dairy now sits at the heart of this unique commercial estate on a working farm, which is home to a growing group of artisan food and drink businesses.
With big ambitions to support local, sustainable producers, the South Devon Food Hub is somewhere businesses can collaborate and thrive; sharing knowledge, communal resources such event space, hot desks, a commercial kitchen and education spaces.

Environmentalist Maurice Ash’s vision is still at the heart of the process - traditional techniques and an environmentally-sound philosophy where pasture, grass, animals, milk and cheese lead naturally from one to the other.
We believe you can truly taste the lush Devon pastures in our cheese.