About The Farm
Thomas Baldwin, passionate about sharing the quality of the family farm's milk, turned his hand to making ice cream in 2006 and added a specially built little kitchen on the farm where he and his small team make deliciously rich traditional ice cream.
Thomas runs a 150 cow dairy herd with his parents John and Maria. The Baldwin family have been farming the lush pastures along the Blackwater Valley in County Waterford for six generations.
Baldwin's Farmhouse ice cream is made using only the finest natural ingredients and with traditional methods.
You can read more about our Ice Cream, how it's made and our flavours here
Baldwin's Farm
Baldwin’s Farmhouse Ice Cream is an on-farm enterprise that Waterford dairy farmer Thomas Baldwin began in 2007. Keen to find a way to make use of the fantastic quality milk produced on their farm, Thomas always wanted to explore the idea of setting up an alternative enterprise on the family dairy farm. Taking inspiration from small dairy farms in Europe, whilst travelling abroad to Europe in 2006, he became impressed by the idea of using his milk to create farmhouse ice cream. By combining fresh milk and cream from their dairy herd with other natural and local ingredients they have worked hard to create delicious homemade ice cream.
The Baldwin family farm 180 acres of grassland, of which 125 acres is the home farm. The away sections of the farm are all within 1 ½ miles of their base. These parcels of land are used for rearing replacement dairy stock and cutting forage, mainly grass silage.
The cows are a Holstein/British Friesian cross producing over 6,000 litres of milk per head each year, consisting of 3.75% Protein and 4.35% Fat. They are mainly a grass based system, but the cows’ diet would include cereal based concentrates, grass silage and maize silage at different times of the year.
The land farmed by the Baldwin's is believed to have been part of Strancally Castle Estate hundreds of year ago. A family tree mapped out in the 1960's traces back to a James Baldwin, documented to live on the farmland back in 1785.
Like most Irish Farms, it would have been a mixed enterprise farm down through the years. Thomas's dad John focused on dairy cows when he took over from his own father in the 1970's.
Local Community
Our business is located in Knockanore, where rivers Bride and Blackwater meet in Co. Waterford.
The name itself is derived from the Irish “Cnoc an Óir”, which translates as "The Hill of Autumn/Gold".
Baldwin’s Farmhouse Ice Cream are proud sponsors of the local GAA team, Shamrocks Hurling & Football Club. Thomas is actively involved in the community, current treasurer of the GAA club and secretary of the Community Council.
In The Media
Radio Interviews
Listen to Thomas On RTE Countrywide at 38:30 and Farmview on WLRFM
In The Papers
The Making of a farmhouse ice cream maker
Thomas Baldwin’s story, written by: Ciaran Casey for Tipperary Institute (Case Study Leader)
As a young farmer, Thomas’ innovative and dynamic approach characterises some of the qualities needed to survive and thrive in farming today. A variety of factors contrived to bring him to where he’s at now, managing a dairy farm and running a successful on-farm business. Having studied at Kildalton and Clonakilty Agricultural Colleges, and having spent six months on placement in New Zealand as part of his training, Thomas earned his farm management qualification in 2004.
