Last year, Canada made waves when a local cheese grabbed top honours from the American Cheese Society.
Headlines read: “The Best American Cheese is from Canada.”
We’d like to gently correct that by saying: “The best cheese anywhere comes from Canada.”
We don’t love to brag, but Fiesta proudly carries the best cheeses made by Canada’s small-scale artisanal producers.
Here are some we recommend you slide onto your next cheese plate.
Hard & Firm Cheeses
Mountainoak Cheese – Farmstead GOLD Gouda (New Hamburg, ON)
Flavour Profile: Caramel-y, nutty, aged Gouda.
The Producer: Mountainoak only makes Gouda, and they make it good-ah. Their Farmstead GOLD Gouda has won 13 national and international awards! Adam and Hannie Van Beek went to cheesemaker’s school in Gouda, South Holland. Lucky for us, they’re making the real deal right here in Ontario.
Gunn’s Hill – Five Brothers (Woodstock, ON)
Flavour Profile: Washed rind cheese that blends Swiss and Gouda traditions—nutty, rich, and crowd-pleasing.
The Producer: Cheesemaker Shep Ysselstein trained in the Swiss Alps before returning home to Woodstock, Ontario, a region widely recognized as the “Dairy Capital of Canada.”
Cows Creamery – Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar (Charlottetown, PEI)
Flavour Profile: This clothbound cheddar is aged in caves and has earthy, grassy notes from PEI’s salt air and iron-rich soil. Food and Wine magazine called Avonlea Cheddar one of The 20 Best Food Souvenirs to Bring Back From Canada.
The Producer: Cows Creamery in PEI started with Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar. Their recipes come from the Orkney Islands, north of mainland Scotland.
Stonetown Artisan Cheese – Grand Trunk (St. Marys, ON)
Flavour Profile: A Gruyère-style cheese—firm, nutty, and full of delightful little crystals.
The Producers Hans and Jolanda Weber brought their alpine cheesemaking traditions from the Swiss Alps to Ontario. They co-own the business with their daughter Rachel Dundas and Master Cheesemaker Ramon Eberle.
Soft & Spreadable Cheeses
Crosswind Farm – Artisan Chevre Italian Garlic Blend (Keene, ON)
Flavour Profile: Creamy and fluffy with a mild tang, this chèvre is infused with garlic and Italian herbs for a bold, savoury bite.
The Producer: Crosswind Farm is a family-run goat dairy outside Peterborough. They’re known for small-batch cheeses from their pasteurized farm-fresh goat milk.
Green Goddess – Vegan Herb & Garlic (Guelph ON)
Flavour Profile: A cashew-based spreadable cheese that’s garlicky, herby, and deeply satisfying.
The Producer: All Green Goddess cheeses are cashew-based and made using traditional cheese-making techniques.
Goat & Sheep Milk Cheeses
Best Baa – Brebis (Sheep’s Milk Cheese) (Fergus, ON)
Flavour Profile: Mild, creamy, and slightly nutty—this sheep’s milk cheese is gentle on the palate and full of personality.
The Producer: Best Baa sources milk from well-loved, pasture-raised sheep and makes small-batch cheeses, yogurt, and kefir. Their sheep are raised following “The 5 Freedoms,” ensuring they live their best lives.
Great Lakes – Aged Cheddar Goat Cheese (Wyoming, ON)
Everybody knows of soft goat cheeses,” Anthony explained. “Why not come up with a cheddar, a havarti — or a mozzarella?”
Flavour Profile: Sharp, crumbly, and full of flavour—it’s a goat cheese that looks, smells and tastes like cow’s milk cheddar. Folks who can’t handle the high lactose levels in cow milk love this cheddar.
The Producer: Great Lakes Goat Dairy produces aged cheddars using milk from their herd of goats in Wyoming, Ontario. The farm grows its feed without herbicides or pesticides; all cheese is made on-site in small batches.