A Green Cheesy Moon

“Once upon a time… people believed that the moon was made of green cheese!” Or so this booklet, produced by the New Zealand Co-op Rennet Co. Eltham, tells us. The booklet was produced in about 1969 with the intention of educating New Zealanders about cheese and cheese making. As well as dispelling rumours that the moon was made of cheese, it outlined the history, taste, manufacture and appearance of a variety of cheese produced in Eltham, including ‘continental and exotic’ cheeses such as Blue Vein, Gruyère and Feta.

The New Zealand Co-op Rennet Co. factory, located on Bridge Street in Eltham, manufactured rennet exclusively for cheese making. Rennet is an extract from the stomach of young animals, such as cows, goats, and sheep. It contains a number of enzymes that are designed to help these animals digest their mother's milk, and when added to milk, it causes it to coagulate, forming the curds and whey that are essential to the cheese making process.