WHY THE USA?
Our export philosophy is that where there are cows, we want to make Pepe Saya there; and where there aren’t, we will export our butter from Australia.
The USA, like Australia, is a dairy nation, and it has long been a dream of ours to make Pepe Saya for the North American market. We want to hold true to our core values of provenance, transparency, sustainability and of course the unique taste of Pepe Saya – which all starts with the quality of the cream. This is where our journey started to find the best cream in the USA and someone who can handcraft our butter.
WHY THE AMISH?
The Amish are well known in North America for farming the highest quality produce, handcrafting skills and using traditional farming practices. Dairy is core to their farming and they have been making butter in Pennsylvania for over 300 years.
Pepe Saya USA production will be based in Lancaster County on a local Amish farm. The cream is coming from local regenerative farms without pesticides, the cows roam on pastures and treated with care, and they are family owned and run.
THE JOURNEY
We welcomed Brother Daniel, representing the Amish, to our buttery last month. He was immersed into all things Pepe Saya - from where we source our cream, how we make our butter, where our butter is served, our values and how our team work together.
Pepe has just returned from the USA where he was immersed in Amish culture, farming and community. He spent time training our head buttermaker Brother Daniel Lapp and his team how to make and hand pack Pepe Saya Cultured Butter. The Amish community have been making butter for centuries, however cultured butter production is a new concept.
“My time in Lancaster County was filled with exchanges of culture. I felt like I had taken a step back in time to look at how things were done before the birth of the machines that rule our lives in today’s fast paced world. I was absolutely blown away by the hospitality and care I was shown, the unique farming practices, and their struggle to maintain self-sufficiency in today’s world.” - Pepe
