|
Our Story
|
Katie has always had a passion for farming and good food (who doesn’t?!) and decided to mix both by diversifying into making luxury ice cream at her family’s dairy farm. Gwella Dairy is situated right at the bottom of Cornwall in the depths of the beautiful Lizard Peninsula, known for its stunning beaches, quirky little villages, spectacular coastal walks and, of course, amazing local food!
Gwella is part of Tregevis farm which is a family run business and has been since 1958 when Percy Bray, Katie’s Grandad, bought the farm. Three generations later the farm is still thriving with the hard team work and dedication of her parents, Andrew and Julie and her brother, Martin. Tregevis is 200 acres of small fields surrounded by Cornish hedges, providing shelter for stock and corridors for wildlife. |
Gwella's Girls
We are proud of our Pedigree Jersey status at Gwella as this proves each cow’s purity, traceability and authenticity, it also means each cow has an individual recorded name. Find us on the national Pedigree Jerseys producers map alongside the other great producers at jerseycattlesociety.uk/jersey-producers-directory/.
The cows produce deliciously rich and creamy milk, in fact it contains 18% more protein, 20% more calcium, and 25% more butterfat than ‘average’ milk, making it perfect for ice cream making! Not only are Jerseys highly efficient in converting feed to high component milk but they also have a low carbon footprint.
Gwella’s girls calve in the spring and are milked throughout the year, until they are ‘dried off’ for a couple months to have a rest, and a bit of pampering, before they calve again in the spring. A stock of ice cream is built up throughout the year so during the cows drying off period there is still plenty of ice cream available to purchase.
The cows spend the majority of the year outside grazing the farms lush paddocks, full of a variety of productive grasses and rich in clover, which is vital to meet the needs of a dairy cow to keep her healthy, in good condition and her belly full, which in turn produces the best quality milk. Cornwall is renowned for growing grass, a warmer climate and the strong Cornish sunshine mixed with a long growing season produces grass high in sugars and nutrients, making top quality feed and silage for our cows. Silage is fermented grass, it is harvested in the summer months, when the grass is growing at its fastest and is at its highest in nutrients, to produce the best quality feed for the cows to have throughout the winter months.
Our number one priority on the farm is providing the best care we possibly can for the animals to keep them happy and healthy.
The cows produce deliciously rich and creamy milk, in fact it contains 18% more protein, 20% more calcium, and 25% more butterfat than ‘average’ milk, making it perfect for ice cream making! Not only are Jerseys highly efficient in converting feed to high component milk but they also have a low carbon footprint.
Gwella’s girls calve in the spring and are milked throughout the year, until they are ‘dried off’ for a couple months to have a rest, and a bit of pampering, before they calve again in the spring. A stock of ice cream is built up throughout the year so during the cows drying off period there is still plenty of ice cream available to purchase.
The cows spend the majority of the year outside grazing the farms lush paddocks, full of a variety of productive grasses and rich in clover, which is vital to meet the needs of a dairy cow to keep her healthy, in good condition and her belly full, which in turn produces the best quality milk. Cornwall is renowned for growing grass, a warmer climate and the strong Cornish sunshine mixed with a long growing season produces grass high in sugars and nutrients, making top quality feed and silage for our cows. Silage is fermented grass, it is harvested in the summer months, when the grass is growing at its fastest and is at its highest in nutrients, to produce the best quality feed for the cows to have throughout the winter months.
Our number one priority on the farm is providing the best care we possibly can for the animals to keep them happy and healthy.
Ice Cream
The ice cream is all manufactured on-site in the processing room, which is in a conversion of the old dairy, it is hand-made in small batches using a recipe Katie developed herself. There is minimal air added to our ice cream making it a denser product, basically you get more for your money! At Gwella Dairy we also make our own cream from our Pedigree Jersey cows milk, to add back into the ice cream, resulting in extra tasty ice cream with zero food miles.
Specialist gelato equipment alongside quality ingredients and flavourings results in a smooth, rich, luxurious ice cream. For the ice cream to maintain its premium quality it must be stored in the ideal environment, which is why we have a purpose-built freezer which speedily brings down the temperature of the freshly made ice cream and efficiently holds it at the appropriate temperature.
We offer a wide variety of flavours; you can come along to the farm and enjoy an ice cream served on a waffle cone or you can buy a tub to take home and enjoy later! We try and keep a good stock of all flavours but if you would like a specific flavour and size to avoid disappointment it is best to email or phone Katie and order the ice cream.
Specialist gelato equipment alongside quality ingredients and flavourings results in a smooth, rich, luxurious ice cream. For the ice cream to maintain its premium quality it must be stored in the ideal environment, which is why we have a purpose-built freezer which speedily brings down the temperature of the freshly made ice cream and efficiently holds it at the appropriate temperature.
We offer a wide variety of flavours; you can come along to the farm and enjoy an ice cream served on a waffle cone or you can buy a tub to take home and enjoy later! We try and keep a good stock of all flavours but if you would like a specific flavour and size to avoid disappointment it is best to email or phone Katie and order the ice cream.
