'Cheese is in my blood!' Shropshire-born dairy expert delighted with royal recognition

David Evans has been awarded The King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for his business, Millbrook Dairy – a company, headquartered in Bideford, Devon, which he co-founded in 2019 with a colleague, Kevin Beer.

David – who began his career in 1983 at a farm near his home in Four Crosses, Mid Wales says ‘cheese is in his blood’ and winning the award is a 'remarkable achievement'.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise recognised Millbrook Dairy’s exceptional performance and growth in collaborating with partners around the world to buy and sell dairy products as a specialist in sourcing products from the UK and Ireland, before selling bulk and packaged cheese and butter across international markets.

With sales growing in the last three years by 109 per cent, the company now operates across Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia-Pacific.

“I am incredibly proud and humbled for Millbrook Dairy to have been recognised in The King’s Awards for Enterprise," David said.

"When Kevin and I started on our journey in 2019, we never thought the business would grow in the way it has and especially during the turbulent trading periods that have been in place.

“For us, winning a King’s Awards for Enterprise and being recognised by the highest business awards in the land is a remarkable achievement and a very big honour.”

After leaving school David spent a year milking cows then three years working at the local cheese factory in Four Crosses where his love for cheese really started.

He was given the chance by the then factory manager Derek James to take on a sponsored student role at Reaseheath College in Nantwich studying Food and Dairy Technology.

David then worked across the UK within the cheese industry moving from Production roles to Grading and ending up as Commercial Director at Ornua Foods before resigning in 2018 to start Millbrook Dairy Company.

As a start-up that was established in 2019, the company is now the UK’s fastest-growing trader and exporter of bulk cheese into world markets. Additional to its bulk cheese and butter business, Millbrook Dairy has developed its own premium brand, 1057 Extra Mature Scottish Cheddar, which is sold in USA, Canada, and Australia.