Cheese Lover’s Guide to Minnesota

The state of Minnesota is a study in contrasts: pine forests in the north, farmland in the south, and the sleek skylines of Minneapolis and St. Paul in between. That diversity carries over to Minnesota's small but vibrant artisan cheese scene, with producers ranging from farmstead cheesemakers to an urban cheesemaker located in the heart of Minneapolis' Northeast Arts District.

“Minnesota cheesemakers are a really tight-knit community,” says Alise Sjostrom, co-owner of Redhead Creamery. “We work together to support each other and make better high-quality cheese to represent our state.” 

“It’s so very important to support all of our small producers to make sure we have a wide range of cheese choices,” says Jodi Ohlsen Read, owner of Shepherd’s Way Farms. “We need to support as many small producers as we can.” 

Redhead Creamery, Brooten, Minnesota

Alise Sjostrom with family photo credit Redhead Creamery

Alise Sjostrom is the eponymous redhead of Redhead Creamery, which produces farmstead cow’s milk cheese. Milk is sourced from Jer-Lindy Farms, which is operated by Sjorstrom’s parents, Jerry and Linda Jennissen. The milk is transported directly from the milking parlor to the on-site cheese plant via an underground pipeline and is turned into cheese that day. “We’re producing the best quality products we can,” says Sjostrom.

The creamery is the realization of Sjostrom’s teenage dream to expand her family’s dairy farm into cheesemaking. After several years of planning and a successful Kickstarter campaign, the creamery made its first batch of cheese in 2013 and opened the cheese plant in 2014.

Little Lucy Brie photo credit Redhead Creamery

Today, Redhead Creamery makes a wide range of cheeses, from fresh curds to Little Lucy Brie to Lucky Linda, a clothbound cheddar that’s aged for at least 6 months. Sjostrom is partial to North Fork Whiskey Washed Munster, which is produced with whiskey from a nearby craft distillery. It can only be made during Minnesota’s warmer months, when the aging spaces are more humid and easier to manage. “It’s a funky, unique cheese,” she says. “I love soft stinky cheeses.”

“We’re always trying to fill a void of cheeses that are missing in the market and are fun to make and fun to eat,” she continues. “It’s hard to sell a cheese if you don’t like to make and eat it yourself.” 

Donnay Dairy, Kimball, Minnesota

Brad Donnay with goat photo credit Donnay Dairy.jpg

Diners throughout the Twin Cities are familiar with Donnay Dairy’s fresh chèvre—although they might not realize it. The farmstead dairy provides fresh chèvre to over 80 different Minnesota restaurants as well as local cheese shops and co-ops, including popular spots like St. Paul’s Colossal Cafe and Minneapolis’ Common Roots Cafe and Prima. 

Owner Brad Donnay is the 4th generation of his family to farm the land. The dairy has been in business for 18 years and includes a herd of about 160 Saanan goats and a cheese plant. “We have zero employees—we’re a family farm. My wife [Leanne] helps in the cheese plant, my kids help in the barn.” That includes 4 sons and a daughter ranging in ages from 4-21 (the oldest 2 sons are currently in college studying dairy manufacturing and hope to help expand the business once they graduate).

Goats in pasture photo credit Donnay Dairy

Donnay Dairy’s primary product is fresh chèvre. During the summer, they also produce Granite Ridge, a goat cheese with a bloomy rind that’s aged 3-4 weeks. “We don’t buy outside milk—we have 100% control of our product,” says Donnay. “We use the old way of making cheese. We’re taking care of it: hanging the cheese, doing a low temp pasteurization. All of that together leads to a very nice cheese.”

While his farm isn’t currently certified organic, Donnay avoids using GMOs and antibiotics, and the goats spend their summers grazing on the pasture outside his window.

“It all comes back to quality,” Donnay says. “If you take care of the goats, the goats take care of you.”

Alemar Cheese Company , Minneapolis

Bent River photo courtesy of Alemar Cheese Company

When her father Keith Adams founded Alemar Cheese Company in 2008, Alexandra Adams was the company’s namesake (along with her sister Mari). Today, she manages the company’s cheese plant and sales.

Alemar uses grass-fed cow’s milk to make soft-ripened cheese in the French style, in addition to fresh cheeses like fromage blanc and cheddar-based curds. Their flagship cheese, Bent River, is a soft-ripened cheese based on Camembert.  “You get three in one,” says head cheesemaker Charlotte Serino. “The rind, the cream layer, and the center is a little dot of less-aged cheese.”

“It’s quite mild and creamy when young, and funky and pungent at full maturity,” adds Adams.

Saint James cheese photo credit Alemar Cheese Company

The tomme-style Saint James is Alemar’s first semi-hard cheese—it’s lightly brined in saltwater and pressed with weights. “It’s definitely our favorite snacking cheese when we’re hungry in the plant. It’s the simplest, tastiest, most snackable thing we do,” says Adams.

“Everything is as close to the French traditional way as possible,” she continues. “Each piece of cheese is individually cared for and packaged by hand.”

Alemar was originally based in southern Minnesota, and the company relocated to Minneapolis in 2019. “It’s a little crazy getting a milk truck in here!” says Adams with a laugh.  “Certain things are absolutely harder. Everything is more expensive. But it’s definitely worth it—our direct relationships with stores and restaurants have really blossomed.”

For example, Alemar cheese has appeared on the menu at nationally-recognized Twin Cities restaurants such as Spoon and Stable. “Minneapolis and St. Paul continue to grow in food savviness,” Adams says. “You can get a New York or Chicago-level meal here—but it’ll be a little cheaper.”

Shepherd’s Way Farms, Nerstrand, Minnesota

Selection of cheeses photo credit Shepherd's Way Farms.

“Our philosophy is to find a way the small family farm still fits into society,” says Jodi Ohlsen Read, owner of Shepherd’s Way Farms.  “My husband [Steven Read] does the bulk of the shepherding and milks [our sheep], and I still make every wheel of our cheese today.”  The couple established their dairy sheep farm in 1994, originally intending to sell milk. Their production quickly exceeded the market demand, and they expanded into cheese making in 1998 with Friesago, a natural rind, semi-aged cheese.

“Friesago is probably my staple cheese,” says Ohlsen Read.  “It has the nuances and depth of pecorino, with a nutty finish and grassy notes.”

Jodi Ohlsen Read photo credit Shepherd's Way Farms

Today, Shepherd’s Way produces a wide variety of farmstead sheep’s milk cheeses, including Shepherd’s Hope, a fresh, mild cheese; Big Woods Blue; and the tomme-style Sogn.  

“Sogn is particularly close to my heart—I really wanted to make a tomme that reflected my style of cheese making and sense of place of this particular farm, the molds and microbes we find in our aging space,” says Ohlsen Read. “It has a vibrant, diverse rind, [and] the interior is semi-firm. It’s slightly fruity, milder than the exterior would lead you to believe, and it melts absolutely beautifully.”

Caves of Faribault, Faribault, Minnesota

Caves of Faribault cheese lineup courtesy Faribault Chamber of Commerce

The Caves of Faribault traces its lineage back to America’s first blue cheese. A brewery carved the sandstone caves in southern Minnesota in the 1850s—prior to modern refrigeration, caves were a way to store beer at cooler temperatures. The caves later fell out of use due to Prohibition, and in the 30s cheese maker Felix Fredericksen repurposed them to age America’s first blue cheese, AmaBlu. 

cheese board featuring Caves of Faribault cheese courtesy Faribault Chamber of Commerce

Fredericksen’s company, Treasure Cave, carved additional caves over the decades. However, they were shuttered in the 90s when the company was sold. In 2001, a new company, the Caves of Faribault, restarted the production of AmaBlu at the original caves.  They've since added more blue cheeses to the lineup: AmaGorg is a Gorgonzola cheese with a sweet flavor profile, and St. Pete’s Select is cave-aged for over 100 days to yield what the company describes as having a “sweet, tangy, slightly peppery taste.”

To get a true taste of the Caves of Faribault, try Felix—it’s a fudgy blue cheese with an edible natural rind flavored by the terroir of the caves.