It can be difficult for entrepreneurs to obtain starter cultures for trials. This article provides contact details of some culture suppliers.

There are now relatively few global manufacturers of starter cultures. These companies tend to be large and provide a good service to their existing clients, many of whom are large companies. It can be difficult for entrepreneurs to make contact with these manufacturers and delays of several weeks in obtaining meaningful contact are not unusual. In their defence it must be acknowledged that these companies obtain large volumes of requests for information from the public including students. Some of these companies can provide Halal and Kosher certified cultures and rennet.

Some of these companies work with local suppliers that specialise in working with entrepreneurs and home cheese makers. People interested in home yoghurt or cheese making are advised to make contact with the culture suppliers not the manufacturers if response time is important.

Suppliers that sell cultures / rennet to entrepreneurs and home cheese / yoghurt makers

 New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. This customer-orientated company which is located in the US supplies starters and other materials world wide. They will also provide advice to their customers on usage levels of cultures. Products can be ordered On Line. They also provide a range of kits that should enable people new to cultured product manufacture to get started.

Mooreland Cheesemaking Ltd. Mooreland are located in England and also have a reputation for good customer service. They provide a similar offer to the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.

Starter culture manufacturers

Biena

This is a Canadian company. They specialise in cultures and probiotics. They can supply Halal and Kosher certified cultures.

CSK food enrichment has been taken over by DSM

This European company has headquarters in the Netherlands. This company supplies a range of dairy ingredients including cultures, cheese coatings, and coagulants.

DuPont™ Danisco®

Danisco were a well regarded high quality provider of cultures and other products to the dairy industry. They were aquired by DuPont. Regretablly their Online presence is not good and the links keep changing so I have removed the URL.

Danisco were active in several industrial sectors. It can provide an extensive range of cultures in frozen, freeze-dried and liquid form. Danisco bought the French company, Rhodia Food in 2004. This company produced an innovative range of high activity freeze dried EZAL DVI cultures for use in direct vat inoculation of a range of dairy products.

DSM Food Specialties B.V. A major global company. They have recently acquired Cargill's cultures and enzymes business. They can provide Kosher and Halal cultures.

Chr. Hansen. This company started off supplying butter and cheese cultures and is now a major global biotechnology company. It is particularly well known in Europe as a supplier of lactic cultures, moulds, colourings  and rennet. It can provide Halal and Kosher products. Hansens have a significant science base that their major customers can access. Hansen's DVS frozen cultures are extensively used for direct vat inoculation of cheese including Cheddar and Cheshire in the UK and Ireland.