Maine’s Gourmet Cheeses

From creamy chevre to aged cheddar, Maine’s gourmet cheeses tell a story of pasture, patience and craft. Across the state, cheesemakers transform rich milk from locally raised cows, goats, sheep and even water buffalo into small-batch creations, drawing on time-honored techniques while developing flavors all their own. Discover them at farmstead creameries, farmers’ markets and specialty cheese stores, where every wedge offers a taste of Maine’s agricultural traditions and fresh creativity.

Maine Cheese Guild

For decades, a growing number of Maine cheesemakers have been turning out plenty of cheese from cow, goat and sheep milk. Today, the Maine Cheese Guild, a statewide trade group, has more than 30 member farms making cheese in a range of styles. Explore their interactive map of member cheesemakers to plan a trip.

The Maine Cheese Guild also hosts notable events, such as September’s annual Maine Cheese Festival, when cheesemakers come together to display their latest creations. (Pro tip: Bring a cooler to keep all your finds cold on the drive home.) In June, Open Creamery Day welcomes visitors to farms and creameries across the state, inviting the public to meet the animals that make the milk and to tour the creameries to learn about the tradition of Maine cheese making.

Cheese Makers in Maine

Cheese lovers also can go straight to the source. Many cheese-making farms welcome visitors or have farm stands where their cheese and yogurt is on sale. Check individual farms’ websites for information on open days and hours. Here is just a sampling to get you started.

Pumpkin Vine Family Farm

At this family-owned farm in Somerville, Anil and Kelly bring the journey from pasture to plate to life through handcrafted, small-batch cheeses made exclusively with milk from their own goat herd. Their farmstead creamery produces everything from fresh chevre and Somersalt feta to hard cheeses aged for two to 12 months, each developing its own character beneath a natural rind. Visit on select Sundays from May through October.

Crooked Face Creamery

Led by cheesemaker Amy Rowbottom, this woman-run, small-batch creamery and shop in Skowhegan draws on local ingredients and seasonal inspiration to create a star-studded lineup of cheeses. At the 2026 World Cheese Awards, the creamery’s Plain Whole Milk Ricotta earned Super Gold, while its Applewood-Smoked Ricotta took home bronze, and its Butterkäse also claimed first place at the 2026 Maine Cheese Awards. Your hardest choice will be deciding which cheeses to stock up on.

Fuzzy Udder Creamery

This creamery in the central Maine town of Whitefield makes cow, goat and sheep cheese with cool names like Tempest, Frost Heave, Windswept and Waldo Smog. They also make sheep’s milk yogurt.

Hatch Knoll Farm & Garden Side Dairy

This family farm in Jonesboro in Downeast Maine creates cow and goat cheese including Camembert, Feta, Cheddar and others. The farm also welcomes camping by folks wanting to explore the farm.

Lakin’s Gorges Cheese

Head to East Forty Farm in Waldoboro and step inside the farm store to discover Lakin’s Gorges Cheese. This World Championship gold medalist is known for hits like the Opus 42 (an aged, semi-firm cheese with a buttery character and silver medals from the World Cheese Awards and the Big E) and Rockweed (a creamy, soft-ripened cheese with a bloomy rind and a briny ribbon of dried seaweed).

ME Water Buffalo Co.

This farm in Appleton on Maine’s MidCoast features several Italian-style cheeses such as Mozzarella made from the milk of gigantic water buffalo.

Silvery Moon Creamery

Based at the popular Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook (just outside Portland), Silvery Moon produces many cow cheeses including cheese curds, bloomy rind cheese including Camembert and Brie and aged cheese such as Provolone. Visitors can also enjoy lunch and ice cream at the farm store and cross-country ski on its trails.

Three Charm Farm

In Alfred in far-southern Maine, this small family farm makes goat cheese and yogurt including chevre, feta, ricotta and queso blanco. The farm is open on Saturdays for tours.

Turning Page Farm

This farm in Monson in north-central Maine offers goat cheeses including chevre and feta as well as home-brewed beer, goat soap and goat school – a two-day course on goat-raising.

Cheese Shops in Maine

Maine’s specialty cheese shops offer a delicious introduction to the state’s dairy farms and the makers behind every wheel and wedge. You’ll also find impressive cheese cases tucked inside many gourmet food stores, alongside crusty bread, preserves and other picnic-ready provisions. Another sure-fire spot to find Maine cheese is at many of the state’s farmers markets. Pick up an old favorite or let a cheesemonger introduce you to something new.

Sissle & Daughters

Nestled amid the boutiques and specialty kitchen stores of Portland‘s Washington Avenue in the East End, this cheesemonger fits right in. Browse the well-stocked cheese counter alongside charcuterie, wine, preserves and pantry treasures, or deepen your appreciation with one of the shop’s tastings or cheese classes.

Carousel Wine & Cheese

On Belfast’s historic Main Street, Carousel brings together local and imported cheeses, wines from small producers and everything you need to build a memorable spread. Browse a rotating selection of cheeses, then add cured meats, crackers, spreads and a little craft chocolate for the finish.

Nibblesford Cheese Shop

Maine makers take center stage at this downtown cheese and specialty food shop, with more discoveries from across New England. Explore wedges and wheels from small producers, then browse the wine, beer and accompaniments to turn your finds into a picnic or an evening’s grazing board.

State of Maine Cheese Company

Perhaps best known for their online-order cheese gift boxes, this business also features a self-serve shop on Springdale Farm, with an array of cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda and fresh cheese curds. They also have a booth at the farmers market in Belfast (Saturdays, year-round) featuring a lineup of their own cheeses, as well as an assorted variety from other Maine farms.