The British Cheese Board awarded Simon Oliver with its prestigious Cheese Industry Award – an accolade to honour an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the cheese industry – at this month’s Royal Bath and West Show.
“The award recognises individuals who have made a significant contribution to the cheese industry in the areas of production, marketing, research, education or training. In the view of the judges, Simon Oliver was the outstanding candidate due to his long term involvement in the development of the UK cheese industry,” said Nigel White, secretary of the British Cheese Board.
After leaving Unigate Foods in 1976, Simon Oliver founded Coombe Farm Foods, which subsequently went into partnership with Dairy Crest to become Mendip Foods.
As Chairman of Mendip Foods, Simon worked closely with Farmhouse cheesemakers – particularly in the West Country – to guide them through a number of turbulent years of industry change.
At the same time, Simon increased turnover to over £135 million and developed the Cathedral City brand – one of the first branded cheeses to be advertised nationally and now the biggest Cheddar brand in the UK - before selling the remaining part of the operation to Dairy Crest in 1995.
In between times, he lead the management buyout of the cheese business of Express Foods from its parent Grand Metropolitan before selling what was renamed as The Cheese Company to Waterford Foods in 1995.
In 1995, he became the founder Chairman of The British Cheese Board. He remained Chairman of the BCB until 2001, before becoming Vice Chairman and then Chairman of Dairy Crest, the country’s largest cheesemaker.
