Martin Rausch Dairy, Austria

Martin Rausch started his dairy in 2015. He is supported by his wife, Claudia, who took over the sales and marketing tasks. His parents are still involved and lend a helping hand. 

After taking over the farm, Martin Rausch was searching for his niche, the way he could reinvent the farm and ensure its future “I was looking for something that we could specialize in. Because I knew one thing: without a clear positioning, we would perish.” After trying a few different things, he discovered that cheesemaking excites him the most. He took a course in milk processing, started in his kitchen, and over the years he grew to be one of the most successful cheesemakers in Austria. ”For years, I kept meticulous records of the ingredients, timing, and duration of the cheesemaking process until I came up with the perfect recipe. After that, it went steeply uphill.”

Today, the farm has 15 dairy cows and processes 50,000 liters of milk per year exclusively from their cows. “Many cheesemakers forget the most important thing, namely the feed of the cows. I know exactly when I have the hay prepared. When the hay is stored for far too long, it becomes ‘stale’ and loses its taste. That’s why I mow four times a year so that the cows always get fresh, well-stored hay to eat. It is crucial for the aroma of the cheese.“

At Rausch farm respect for the environment plays an important role. Martin Rausch explains: “We strive to give something back to the environment out of gratitude, which is why we try to make processes on the farm and in the dairy as sustainable as possible.“ In their production, they mostly switched to reusable glass containers. The empty glass containers can be returned very easily at all their sales locations. Then they are cleaned, dried, and refilled at the farm. All product deliveries are made with their electric car powered with electricity from their own photovoltaic system. With the self-generated electricity, they run the production during the day, too.

The farm shop is very popular and gets positive feedback from customers. He regularly supplies shops and wineries within a radius of 30 kilometers. Customers can choose from thirteen types of yogurt, cream cheeses, curd spreads, curd creams, soft cheeses, semi-hard cheeses, and cow milk. Julia Rausch, the daughter, has always given names and ideas for products in the yogurt range. “Julia’s sweet apricot dream” won in 2019 gold in Wieselburg at “Kasermandl, the most important cheesemaking competition in Austria”. Among other awards, he also won the title of “Käsekrone” with his fresh herbal cheese “Good mood”.

“Quality, contact with customers, regionality, closeness to nature, and sustainability” are at the very core of Martin Rausch’s business and life philosophy.