Prom Country Cheese is a vertically integrated agritourism venue owned and run by 2nd generation cheesemakers Bronwyn & Burke Brandon and their children, from their fertile farm in the beautiful hills of South Gippsland. Their focus is producing sheep milk for cheesemaking in the purpose-built cheese rooms overlooking the farm and dairy, and showcasing its transformation into distinctive regional cheese. To read more.
Burke's top 5 business tips
1. Start with a passion for what you do. This will shine through in your business engagements and is critical for success.
2. Be prepared to go above and beyond. The buck stops with you. Make it happen. Critics and customers don't care how many hours a day you work, but make time for family. Look after yourself and enjoy personal moments whenever you can.
3. Network. Get involved with your peers, industry and customers at every practical opportunity, otherwise you will be left in the dark and miss out. Collaborate with like-minded interests. Work together.
4. Have a top quality product and believe in it, although this is not enough - you have to continually tell your story and benchmark this with competitions, awards and media content.
5. Run a professional business. Pay your bills on time. Analyse but don't let paperwork take you away from what you are good at. Sometimes you have to just go for it - invest and make sure it works. Bigger isn't always better. Find a comfortable business size that enables you to remain hands-on and in control of quality. If you want to continually grow, get really big. If you can't accept risk or any of the above - go get a job!
If you have a story to share with us about someone in the Gippsland tourism industry please contact jhayes@destinationgippsland.com.au
