Mazaraat Cheese: A Taste of Intercultural Blend

Over the decades, the rich taste of cheese has become widely known, becoming a favorite among many of the world’s residents. However, among Asian countries, including Indonesia, one innovation of cheese remains a rarity, and that is the organic cheese.

Organic cheese in Indonesia only surfaced in 2015, when a married couple—Jamie Najmi and Nieta Pricillia—started Mazaraat Cheese in Yogyakarta. The process and ingredients they chose to create their cheese was an intercultural one, involving a blend of European techniques with Indonesian ingredients to create the final product. 

This process is possible through their self practice and education, notably Najmi’s cheese making certifications from Canada in 2015 as well as France in 2017. Meanwhile, Mazaraat Cheese’s primary ingredients include organic cow milk and goat milk from local farmers. But these weren’t just ordinary milk, they were produced from cows and goats fed with wild grass, devoid from any pesticides or urea. They are also managed by local farmers with organic certificates without any use of antibiotics, and they have experimented with organic buffalo milk in their products.

This combination of knowledge and resources has introduced an interesting innovation in Indonesia’s culinary sector. One that was not only new, but suitable on the tongues of regular natives and even culinary stars. Notably, Mazaraat Cheese’s products are well enjoyed by Chef Ragil and Chef Degan, both of whom are renowned Indonesian chefs. It was also known that their products have been found compatible with people of special needs such as cancer survivors, down syndrome, and autism.

This connects to the context of their business, as Jamie and Nieta’s earlier experience with cheese came from tending to their daughter’s needs, who was diagnosed with heart disease upon birth. At that time, rather than choosing to undergo medical treatment, the couple used natural treatment to cure their daughter, providing her with fermented food they made themselves within their home in Dusun Cancangan, Yogyakarta. This method successfully healed their daughter from heart disease by the time she reached 1.5 years old, prompting the creation of Mazaraat Cheese.

As of today, Mazaraat Cheese has largely grown as a company, now capable of producing 9 tonnes of cheese per month. They have also produced over 10 variants of cheese, such as the blue cheese, buratta, halloumi, and more, with some national favorites including their crottin blue goat cheese or Khayya, as well as their blue cheese, Ibra. Khayya has been described as a ‘subtly earthy cheese, with a beautiful creamy taste’, while Ibra as ‘chewy and earthy, yet savory’.

Should you wish to try Mazaraat Cheese’s products, they are mostly served in five star hotels in Bali. However, some of them also went to Yogyakarta and Jakarta, where they are distributed in hotels and supermarkets. They also sell in their official e-commerce store under the name ‘Mazaraat Gourmet Official’. However, since Mazaraat Cheese provides purely organic products, they don’t have a long shelf span. Therefore, they’re usually sent to homes within their production area.

With their ever-expanding business, Mazaraat Cheese has greatly contributed in expanding the local cheese industry, as well as supporting organic milk farmers. Notably, they have also been noticed and invited to collaborate by Arla Foods, the largest producer of organic milk based in Europe. This proves that Indonesia too, can create high quality cheese products, and they will continue to spread their influence across other Asian countries.