Grinning Gecko are a small, internationally acclaimed artisan cheese producer, based in Whangarei and named after the green geckos that live in the manuka and kanuka on their property. They source top quality, export-standard, certified organic milk from a local farm milking Ayrshire cows and produce some of New Zealand’s finest soft cheese.

Their cheese is made on the same day it is milked, and because they only use milk from one herd, they have total control over quality, from beginning to end. Sustainability and traceability are hugely important to the owners because of the prevalence of dairy farming in New Zealand and the impact it has on the environment. This is also the reason behind the choice to exclusively use certified organic milk, which is batch pasteurised - a very gentle method of pasteurisation. Grinning Gecko cheeses contain no animal rennet and are all handmade and aged on site.