Australian cheese lovers were crying into their camembert last year when it was announced that iconic cheesemaker King Island Dairy was set to close in mid-2025. The brand’s owner, Saputo Dairy Australia (SDA), made the decision to close the facility after failing to find a buyer, saying that, “Closure of the facility was determined as the most viable way to strengthen SDA’s competitiveness based on changing industry and market conditions”.

This was not to be just a huge loss to the Australian cheese industry; the historic dairy is the one of the largest employers on King Island, and the impending closure of the facility spelled disaster for both staff and locals, including other local businesses.

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Credit: King Island Dairy

But there has been a last minute re-brie-ve, with SDA now announcing that it has entered into a binding agreement to sell its King Island Dairy business to a “newly formed entity, King Island Dairy 2 Pty Ltd, led by two experienced Australian businessmen with supply chain and manufacturing expertise”. 

So who are these businessmen? The new owners are Graeme Wilson and Nick Dobromilsky, who currently also own Queensland’s largest Mediterranean cheese manufacturer, Olympus Cheese; and Desi Valley Dairy, which produces South Asian dairy products.

In more exciting news for cheese lovers, the new owners plan to invest in European cheesemaking equipment, to develop new King Island Dairy cheese products.

The King Island Dairy sale includes the cheesemaking facility and brand, the onsite cheese store and two local dairy farms that supply the facility with milk. All employees have been offered the opportunity to transfer their employment to the new owners.

It’s grate news for Australian cheese, and for the community of King Island, and proof that cream always rises to the top.

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