Thank you, Mr Buffalo

A lot of love goes into the buffalo milk and mozzarella that is produced out of Tengchong in Yunnan, the physical fruits of an eco-friendly lifestyle prevalent in the region. Deng Zhangyu finds out more.

In a country where dairy products are still not part of the daily diet of the masses, Ouyang Yuancheng is selling water-buffalo mozzarella, a niche product even in some relatively Westernized countries.

His cheese is made from Chinese buffalo milk produced in the southwest province of Yunnan. Ouyang clearly understands it's a tough road to persuade Chinese consumers to accept such a rare delicacy, but he persists in the belief that his consumers deserve the best and safest products.

Just looking at the bespectacled young man, it is hard to think of him as a hardcore salesman.

All you have to do to get him going, however, is to mention "milk" and "mozzarella" and all the artisan terms slip out of him so easily you would think he is a seasoned expert - which he is.

The 33-year-old spent six years studying food safety and curd fermentation in China and at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He was a laboratory man, and that is why he keeps on experimenting with mozzarella recipes for Chinese consumers.

"Few Chinese accept the taste of cheese easily. So I have to teach them how to eat buffalo cheese in ways they are familiar with," says Ouyang.