You are very keen.
They tend to love the animals first, cheesemaking second.
As much as I love cheesemaking, it may be that another love, for these wonderful, sentient beings, and the desire to provide what it is they give us, is coming sweeping in. Cheese is wonderful, such a wonderful blend of art and science, and it fills me in so many ways. But I must admit I've always had a pretty deep connection to our friends (I don't mean this to be maudlin - it's a true sentiment) - that can only be answered by tending to and partnering with them.
I know of cheesemakers who started out with a few animals and begged, borrowed, and figured out creative ways to build up their herds, and then either leased pasture or bought it. They tend to love the animals first, cheesemaking second.
We've talked on some of this - but in case it benefits others: One thing that I am running models and conjectural numbers on, is the provision for growth; in other words, say you anticipate X lbs yearly in cheese demand down the road, and, if you can do a decent job of nailing down a breed or your herd mix's yield, you can do a pro forma on anticipated cattle need. They grow, but the land doesn't. Much like putting in an underground cave, I would think one's best bet is to think on the fairly finite resources - a built cave, with empty aging rooms waiting in the wings, over adding on to or rebuilding another cave; or land itself, which is not replicable - when planning for down the road.
In other words, say I've got 2 Normande x Ayrshires, and plan for growth to a sustainable herd of 75 head. Say, as in the case especially when moving a land over to grazing from another use, the "lean years" between moving off of one paradigm (say, ley farming and good cash flow) to optimal grazing forage and rotating paddocks, is a long, difficult climb; I cannot think it wise to seek try to grow organically in land, as well as in herd strength.
Long way around; can I ask, the makers you mention - with their couple of cows, how large a swath of land did they have control over? Was it a fairly easy thing for them to increase their herd, or were they constantly shifting to new leases and new grounds, having to start over, basically, in moving their new digs to permanent pastures (if they grazed)?