There are moments in our province’s food story when a single win feels like a symbolic turning point, the kind of recognition that doesn’t just reward one producer’s hard work, but signals that something bigger is happening across our culinary landscape. This month, Nova Scotia had one of those moments.
At the 2025 National Cheese Competition during the Royal Agricultural Fair in Toronto, Annapolis Fine Cheese, barely two years into its cheesemaking journey, earned first place for their Truffle Fresh Cheese and second place for their Herb and Garlic Fresh Cheese in the flavoured cheese category. Taking first and second place in a category with 18 submissions speaks to the quality and distinctiveness of the product. Both cheeses are part of their Fresh Cheese line-up, which also includes an unflavoured version. They describe these products as akin to French fromage blanc.
The importance of the achievement wasn’t lost on Emily Haynes, Executive Director of Taste of Nova Scotia, who says, “We were thrilled to hear that Annapolis Fine Cheese earned top honours at the Royal Agricultural Fair in Toronto. As Taste of Nova Scotia members, recipients of our 2024 Producer of the Year Award, their success comes as no surprise and continues to showcase the remarkable talent and dedication of local food and beverage producers across our province.”
For a young, family-run producer from Wolfville to take home two of the top national honours in such a competitive category says a lot. It says their cheeses are excellent, yes, but it also says Nova Scotia is entering a new era of artisanal craftsmanship.
“We were thrilled by the judges’ feedback,” said Catherine Keeler, head cheesemaker. “Hearing our cheeses described as ‘outstanding’ and ‘exceptional’ by the country’s top cheese experts is incredibly encouraging.”
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to me. Since their inception, I’ve been a big fan of their work. Their fresh cheeses offer a versatility that goes well beyond the cheeseboard. According to co-owner Sean Myles, his wife, Gina Haverstock (co-owner of Annapolis Fine Cheese and Head Winemaker for Devonian Coast), likes to add icing sugar and a touch of vanilla extract to make a spread for brioche, a sweet morning treat. I’ve personally used the cheese to make a savoury cheesecake and, most recently, a Mediterranean-inspired cheese tart. It was as simple as filling a baked pie shell with the cheese mixed with a little lemon zest, returning it to the oven until warm, and topping it with a medley of grilled and roasted vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper. Their Fresh Cheeses are equally at home elevating a simple pasta. I imagine a couple teaspoons of their Truffle Fresh Cheese added to a mushroom-based pasta dish would be delicious, but so too would the cheeses simply spread generously over toasted baguette or sourdough.
From its modest beginnings and relatively small number of retail outlets, Annapolis Fine Cheese is now becoming a staple of specialty food shops and market retailers around the province. You’ll even find it at select Sobeys stores.
Co-owner Sean Myles sees this momentum first-hand. “Nova Scotians clearly have an appetite for locally crafted cheese,” he said. “Demand has been rising steadily, and at this pace, we anticipate needing to expand our facility within the next few years.”
That demand doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s part of a wider cultural shift happening in Nova Scotia: a growing pride in buying local, knowing the producer, and choosing ingredients that tell a story of place. From wine to oysters, we are becoming a province that savours the idea of provenance. Cheese is the latest expression of that pride, and perhaps one of the most natural, given our agrarian past. Cheesemaking isn’t a foreign input; it’s a piece of farming history reclaiming its place on the table.
Behind every wheel of artisanal cheese is another local hero: the dairy farmer. Annapolis Fine Cheese relies on frequent deliveries of fresh milk from Nova Scotia farms, milk that reflects our coastal pastures, our seasonal rhythms, and the stewardship of families who have been farming here for generations.
“Small-scale cheesemaking is vital to the sustainability and growth of Nova Scotia’s dairy industry,” said Jo Ann Fewer, general manager of Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia. “We’re immensely proud of the exceptional artisanal cheeses being crafted here. The future is bright for Nova Scotia cheese.”
That connection between farmer to cheesemaker to consumer feels especially important as shortening the food supply chain becomes increasingly essential in a more restrictive, competitive global food landscape.
Just in time for this national recognition, a new Nova Scotia Cheese Trail has been launched across the province. Designed to celebrate our growing dairy craft, the trail connects cheesemakers from one end of Nova Scotia to the other.
Of the trail, Taste of Nova Scotia Executive Director Emily Haynes says, “Taste of Nova Scotia is thrilled to partner with Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia to launch the Nova Scotia Cheese Trail…. together, we’re shining a spotlight on the incredible talent, creativity, and economic impact of our local cheesemakers. The trail is a fun and engaging way for locals and visitors alike to explore our province, experience its unique taste of place, and discover the rich foodways that make Nova Scotia’s culinary offerings so memorable.”
For me, it’s another meaningful step forward in creating food and drink links akin to regions around the world where these connections are deeply rooted in local culture. What Tidal Bay and our sparkling wines have done to link local wines with local seafood, cheese can do with local ciders and beers — both natural partners, all of them traditionally farmstead products. The best pairings are never just taste experiments; they speak to history and culture.
What Annapolis Fine Cheese accomplished in Toronto is far more than a medal moment. It’s a signal that Nova Scotia cheese belongs on the national stage and that our producers are ready to stand alongside the best.
With a thriving dairy community, the new Nova Scotia Cheese Trail (www.novascotiacheesetrail.com), and a public that increasingly seeks flavour with a sense of place, the future of Nova Scotia cheese isn’t just bright. It’s delicious.
Of course it won
We Nova Scotians know excellence when we taste it