Harvey Cheese owners Robert and Penny St Duke hang up work boots after 23 years of dedication

The couple behind one of the Harvey region’s most beloved institutions are hanging up their boots after nearly a quarter of a century.

Robert and Penny St Duke have spent 23 years building and growing Harvey Cheese into a location for both residents and tourists to enjoy some of the finest produce the region has to offer.

But the pair have decided it is time to enjoy a well-earned retirement, recently selling the business.

Mr St Duke said he had “no regrets” about moving on from the business he and his wife built from scratch.

“It’s time for us to move on and I’m happy it’s going to a really good owner,” he said.

Harvey Cheese first came about in 2000 after the couple purchased a former deer and marron farm that had been vacant for the previous 12 years.

What followed was years of renovations on the building at the Wokalup site, which officially opened on November 15, 2003.

Mr St Duke said the business built up its brand by initially attending 28 agricultural shows a year.

“If you’re one-to-one, you can actually sell your product ... and that did more advertising for us than we could ever do just by being in front of the people and talking to them,” he said.

As business boomed, the couple pulled back on the shows and focused on giving consumers what they wanted, at one point making cheeses with coffee and vanilla bean in them.

Mr St Duke said Harvey Cheese was the only business in Australia he was aware of that made flavoured camembert cheese and the second to make spirits from whey.

The business’ creativity has paid off, with Harvey Cheese regularly featuring in the Dairy Industry Association of Australia State Awards.

While the St Dukes might have sold up, the business will remain a small operation. Three generations of the same family have taken over the reins of the business as it enters a new era.

While Mr St Duke will be spending more of his time at car shows, he thanked those who had helped make the business what it is today, including support from the Shire of Harvey and the Harvey community.