Local Products and International Delights
We offer a wide selection of artisan cheeses, both local and international. We work directly with farmers and producers to bring you the highest quality cheeses for any occasion, recipe or craving.
Our Cheese Shop offers a delightful variety, from grass-fed cow’s milk cheeses and lactose-free organic options to plant-based alternatives. Ask a Team Member to recommend the perfect cheese for your charcuterie board or recipe.
At our cheese counter, we’re happy to cut, slice, and shred any cheese you’d like to the size you need. With freshness, quality, value, and convenience as our priorities, we ensure that you’ll only receive the best.
Local Partnerships
We partner with smaller, family-run farms that provide high-quality products that meet Farm Boy standards. A few of the local labels that can be found in our stores include: St-Albert Cheese, Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese, Crosswind Farm, and Balderson Cheese. Through our work with these farmers and producers, we’re able to help support our local economy and pass the savings onto you.
St-Albert Cheese (St-Albert, ON)
One of the oldest cooperatives in Canada, the first Fromagerie St-Albert began in 1894 in St-Albert, Ontario. With over a century of cheese-making to their name, St-Albert Cheese has been the recipient of countless awards in both national and international competitions, with a commitment to quality and freshness. Using only traditional recipes and 100% pure milk, St-Albert has distinguished itself from many of its peers. Their best-known product is perhaps their cheese curds, which have a smooth, slightly elastic texture and sweet, creamy flavour.
Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese (Woodstock, ON)
A small local operation, Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese is truly a family endeavour. Using milk produced on the third-generation family dairy farm, Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese relies on Swiss cheese-making techniques and recipes both learned and inherited. Located in Woodstock, Ontario, in Oxford County—considered the dairy capital of Canada—Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese has a commitment to freshness and taste. Discover any of the six cheeses we carry in our stores for your next charcuterie board or wine and cheese evening!
Crosswind Farm (Keene, ON)
It was in a reconstructed 19th-century barn in Keene, Ontario, that Crosswind Farms began. In operation since 2007, the family-run farm focuses on providing high-quality goat’s milk products made in small batches to ensure excellent taste and texture. At Farm Boy, you’ll discover their artisan chèvre, a creamy cheese with a soft, spreadable texture that’s available in a variety of flavours, as well as gouda and aged cheddar.
Balderson Cheese (Balderson, ON)
Beginning in 1881, Balderson Cheese grew out of a dairy collective based in Lanark County and was so named for the location at a crossroads known as Balderson Corners. Now, more than 140 years later, Balderson has stayed true to their Canadian roots, with factories across Ontario in Winchester, Belleville, and Windsor. In your favourite Farm Boy store, you can find a variety of aged cheddar options under the Balderson name. Winners of multiple awards both nationally and internationally, there’s a taste for everyone to enjoy!
International Artisan Cheese
In addition to the wide variety of local labels in Farm Boy stores, we’re also proud to offer imported delicacies for those who enjoy international flavours. Crafted with traditional techniques and time-tested recipes, these brands would be a delicious addition to any dish or occasion.
Caseificio Maldera (Italy)
Fueled by a desire to blend great flavour with Apulian dairy tradition, Caseificio Maldera began its journey in 1972. With this dedication to preserving milk processing as a true art form, they’ve developed exceptional fresh cheeses, including their burrata, the jewel of their dairy crown. This creamy cheese boasts a delicious explosion of fresh, mild flavour, perfect for pairing with roasted tomatoes and crusty bread.
Snowdonia Cheese Company (North Wales, United Kingdom)
Inspired by the beauty of Snowdonia, a mountainous region in North Wales, the cheese company of the same name began in 2001 with a focus on fresh ingredients and exceptional taste. Over the years, as they expanded to supply their delicious products to over 25 countries, Snowdonia has continued to dedicate itself to the careful sourcing of ingredients and the expert grading of their cheeses.
Ponte Reale (Italy)
Founded in 1993, the Ponte Reale Farm began with the idea of marrying ancient traditions with modern concepts like sustainability and corporate responsibility. Raising more than 1500 buffalo on over 1000 hectares of land, Ponte Reale focuses on quality in its land, its animals, and its products. Through meticulous craftsmanship, fresh buffalo milk, and exacting standards, the Ponte Reale Farm has been able to succeed across Europe and North America.
Cheese the Day: Cheese Varieties
Our stores offer a vast array of delicious cheeses for any event, occasion, or recipe. Below are some of the most popular types of cheese that are ready for you to discover.
Plant Based Alternatives
We understand that finding the perfect cheese alternative can be challenging; however, at Farm Boy, we make it easy. Our selection includes a variety of flavours and textures, ensuring there’s something for every palate. Farm Boy has a bunch of plant-based cheeses that are good with any dish. The textures are different, so you can choose from creamy spreads, rich slices, and robust shreds for cooking.
Our vegan cheese alternatives can be savoured in a variety of ways. Enjoy the tangy vegan feta on salads or savour the smooth vegan mozzarella on pizzas. Experience the smoky vegan smoked gouda on a cheese board. Add vegan provolone to sandwiches. Try vegan cheese curds for snacking or enjoy the rich flavour of vegan cheddar.
Explore the diverse range of plant-based cheeses at Farm Boy and discover new favourites for your next meal. Whether preparing a gourmet cheese platter, enhancing a dish, or enjoying a snack, our Cheese Shop offers the finest dairy-free products to exceed your expectations.. Visit us today and taste the craftmanship.
Nuts for Cheese
Beginning in 1972, Caseifico Maldera grew out of a desire to blend great flavour with Apulian dairy tradition. With a focus on maintaining milk processing as a true art form, Caseificio Maldera has been able to develop exceptional fresh cheeses, including their burrata, which is the jewel of their dairy crown. This creamy cheese boasts a delicious explosion of fresh, mild flavour, perfect for pairing with roasted tomatoes and crusty bread.
Humble Seedz
A small, family-owned business, Humble Seedz wanted to provide a dairy-free cheese alternative that was also nut-free. Through their own experience in the dairy industry as well as their knowledge of old-world cheesemaking techniques, Humble Seedz settled on Canadian sunflower seeds as the core of their product. Their plant-based cream cheese spreads are deliciously creamy and made with simple, minimal ingredients for the best flavour possible.
Farm Boy™ Private Label Cheese Products
To earn the distinction of being a Farm Boy product, items undergo rigorous testing to ensure they meet our high quality standards. In our Cheese Shop, you’ll find lactose-free cheese, plant-based cheese, and organic cheese made with 100% Ontario milk. Sourced from both local businesses and international farmers, there’s a cheese for everyone under the Farm Boy name.
Cheese FAQs
- Can cheese be frozen?
Depending on the type of cheese, yes, it can be frozen. Soft cheeses do not do well in the freezer, as freezing can ruin their texture. However, you can freeze hard and semi-hard cheeses. To freeze blocks of cheese, place them in a freezer bag with all the air pressed out. To freeze sliced cheese, place parchment paper between each slice, wrap them entirely in the same paper, and place in a freezer bag. If you plan to use frozen cheese for shredding, shred it before you freeze it.
- How can I store cheese to keep it fresh?
Properly storing cheese depends on the type of cheese. Wrap hard or semi-hard cheeses in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Goat cheese can be wrapped in wax paper with either end twisted, like candy. Cheeses like feta that come packaged in brine should be put back in their brine for best storage. If you’ve accidentally drained the brine, the remaining feta can be coated in olive oil and placed back in its container.
Catering & Charcuterie
Take your tastebuds on a trip with any of our charcuterie boards offered by our Catering team. Featuring delicious cheeses both locally-produced and imported, internationally-inspired meats, fresh and dried fruits, and crunchy nuts, you can enjoy an expertly curated charcuterie board prepared by us. If you’d like to customize your charcuterie board but don’t know where to begin, ask a Team Member for help!
Local Items with Global Flavours
At Farm Boy, we’re proud to offer our customers a variety of artisanal deli products that feature internationally-inspired flavours. We work directly with small businesses and suppliers to bring you the highest quality meats. At our deli counter, you’ll discover handcrafted salami, richly spiced sausages, and the newest stars of your charcuterie boards. Ask a Team Member if you’d like any amount of deli meat sliced to your liking and specifications. With freshness, quality, value, and convenience as our priorities, we promise you’ll only receive the best.
Local Brands
Seed to Sausage (Sharbot Lake, ON)
Opened in 2011, Seed to Sausage is a small business focused on supplying Canadians with house-made artisan cured meats from local, ethically-sourced pork that’s raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. Owner Mike McKenzie studied under chefs and sausage makers throughout Europe to properly develop the techniques that go into Seed to Sausage’s products.
Hayter’s (Dashwood, ON)
The only farm in Canada that raises and processes their turkey on-site, the Hayter family has been in the business since 1948. From farm-to-fork, we’re proud to offer a variety of their turkey products that are exemplary in taste, quality, and freshness.
Blue Danube Sausage House (Mississauga, ON)
Opening its doors in 1994 in Etobicoke, Blue Danube Sausage House went through many iterations throughout the years. However, their recipes, dedication to quality, and flavour remained the same. Making high quality smoked sausages and salamis, this European deli continues to offer delicious, fresh, and authentic flavours.
Brandt Meats (Etobicoke, ON)
Using recipes handed down from generation to generation, Brandt Meats has been in operation since 1958. Proudly offering artisan quality deli meats made in the European tradition, Brandt only uses the finest ingredients to create their tasty products. From naturally smoked meats to sausages and salamis, Brandt Meats aims to put the “deli” in “delicious”!
A Cut Above: Deli Meat Varieties
In our stores, you’ll find a vast array of delicious deli meats for any event, occasion, or recipe. Below are some of the most popular types of deli meats that are ready for you to discover.
To earn the distinction of being a Farm Boy product, items undergo rigorous testing to ensure they meet our high-quality standards. At our deli counter, you’ll find internationally-inspired meats imported from Italy and Spain, traditional pâté, European-style salami, and more under the Farm Boy label. Sourced from both local businesses and international suppliers, there’s a flavour for everyone under the Farm Boy name.