Elena and Andrei Swegen never planned to milk buffaloes, let alone have their dairy operation nationally recognised in food awards, but now it is their reality.
How an astrophysicist and a soil scientist ended up being award-winning buffalo farmers
Elena and Andrie Swegen moved to Australia in 1995, bidding adieu to their beloved Moscow to chase their dream of living close to nature at some quiet place
Some of the best Italian mozzarella in Australia is made by... Russians
Most dairy products are made off-farm with milk shipped in from elsewhere. Burraduc Buffalo Dairy, owned and run by Andrei and Elena Swegen, at Bungwahl on the mid-NSW coast, is a rare farmhouse dairy where the entire process is contained on the farm. The Riverine buffalo are born, bred and milked on the farm and Elena Swegen makes her exquisite cheeses and yoghurt in the dairy next to the milking yard. It takes great skill to do it all - breed and raise animals, manage the pastures and make artisan dairy products from the milk - not many people can do it.
About Buffalo milk products
Compared to cows’ milk, buffalo milk contains 43% less cholesterol, 62% more calcium, 40% more protein and contains high levels of the antural antioxidant tocopherol. Buffalo milk can be suitable for people with cow milk allergies.
About Burraduc Farm
Burruduc Farm is the only NSW water buffalo dairy that is producing fresh milk and artisan cheeses by traditional methods in an A grade facility on the farm. It's a family-owned business wanting to showcase the full cycle of on-farm organic primary production: healthy soils and nutritious pastures enjoyed by healthy animals that are treated with love and respect, which produce wholesome clean milk, which is then turned into fresh dairy products using traditional methods.
The water buffalo herds are organically managed and pastured all year. Calves are allowed to stay with their mothers and graze freely and Elena and Andrei practice conservation agriculture and treat the ecosystem that supports us with the utmost respect.
Burruduc Farm is predator-friendly and does not endorse the killing of native or introduced wildlife.
Read about our first visit to Burraduc.
Elena Swegen is the force behind Burradac Buffalo Dairy. At Burradac, the soils and pastures are organically managed and fresh cheeses are produced from 100 % pasture fed milk, with emphasis on minimising the time between milk harvesting and processing into cheeses. The result is buffalo cheese and milk, that is sort after by the top chefs in Sydney.
Elena & Andrei - Burraduc Buffalo Dairy
Elena and Andrei Swegen from Burraduc Buffalo Dairy sure had a weekend full of smiles. Just last week Burraduc were announced as a state winner in the prestigious delicious. Produce Awards for 2018. Elena and Andrei took out the award in the dairy category for their Burraduc Buffalo Mozzarella.
And for an extra spring in their step, they were part of the successful Great Lakes Food Trail on Sunday 22nd April that saw hundreds of locals and visitors taking to the roads around Myall, Smiths and Wallis Lakes to visit 23 producers and providores across numerous locations in the region.