Handcrafted Cheese from the Heart of the Peninsula.

Main Ridge Dairy has always been more than a cheese factory. Tucked into the green folds of the hinterland, this pioneering goat dairy — the first and still the only one on the Mornington Peninsula — is the kind of place where you can see exactly where your food comes from. Goats graze just metres from the dairy door, and inside, milk is transformed into award-winning farmhouse cheese by hand, with care and craft.

Established in 2001, Main Ridge Dairy became a regional icon under its original owners, who shaped not just the farm, but the land itself. Their stewardship transformed 130 acres into a model of regenerative farming, fencing remnant vegetation, planting over 6,000 native species, and earning accolades such as the Victorian Farmers Federation Landcare Award. Their environmental legacy still runs deep — it’s in the soil, the pasture, and the goats that quietly go about their day, delivering the milk that defines the cheese.

In recent years, the baton has passed to new hands. Sonia and Wayne Kent, now at the helm, brought with her a vision as big as the landscape itself. A long-time lover of goat cheese, country living, and native bushland, she saw not just a property, but a place to create a legacy — one rooted in family, sustainability, and craft.

“As soon as we laid eyes on the farm, we knew this was home,” she says. “The integrity of what had been built here, the health of the land, the passion behind the product — it was all there. The answer was a resounding yes.”

Main Ridge Dairy is now home to around 200 goats, mostly Saanen and Toggenburg breeds — each named, known, and nurtured. The team’s ethos is simple: happy goats make better milk. And great milk makes exceptional cheese.

Each step of the process — from pasture to plate — is undertaken with care. The dairy’s unique location, just 90 kilometres from Melbourne, offers rich volcanic soils and an ideal cool-climate pasture. Soil health is a major focus here, because better grass means healthier animals, and healthier animals mean milk with the nuance and balance that cheesemakers dream of.

Cheese at Main Ridge Dairy is made in small batches, using milk from the farm’s own herd. Gentle methods, such as hand-ladling lactic-set curds, are used to preserve texture, flavour, and yield. The result is a range of handcrafted cheeses that are consistently celebrated — from the marinated chèvre (a multi-year gold medal winner) to bolder aged styles like Caprino and Cillia. In 2019, the dairy was awarded Champion Medium Producer at the Australian Food Awards, with seven gold medals from nine entries — a testament to the consistent quality that underpins the entire operation.

And yet, it’s not just the cheese that brings people back. There’s a warmth to Main Ridge Dairy — a quiet generosity in the way it shares its story. While goat feeding and dairy tours are on pause for now, the farm’s sense of openness continues through Billies Cafe, the on-site café offering tastings, cheese boards, and the kind of hospitality that turns a pit stop into a long lunch.

Beyond the farm gate, Sonia’s vision continues to evolve. She’s exploring new cheese styles — particularly hard goat cheeses — and welcoming fresh perspectives through a team that includes French agricultural interns and a new generation of cheesemakers. “We want to be known for taking care of our animals and our people, and for creating products that surprise and delight,” she says.

Main Ridge Dairy has always led from the front. And while the faces may have changed, the spirit remains: a deep respect for land, a passion for animals, and a steadfast commitment to creating truly local, truly exceptional cheese.