While we are very fond of Vermont specialty foods, we are delighted to have discovered a wealth of excellent cheeses and prepared meats made in Québec. Of course, one can obtain many of these products in the Montréal area in stores such as La Fromagerie Atwater and Les Fromageries Hamel. However, it is not necessary to make the trip across the Pont Champlain to acquire high-quality, handcrafted cheeses and charcuterie. There are boutiques across much of Québec, most of which are listed in the Route des Fromages, including a half-dozen within an hour and a quarter or so of Burlington, in the Haut Richelieu and the western Cantons de l’Est regions of southern Québec.
All of them are easy to find in small towns or among the rich agricultural fields of the region. These boutiques provide a range of cheeses, often from cows in a nearby pasture, as well as a selection from fromageries elsewhere in the province. The charcuteries also carry a variety of cheeses in addition to their delicious sausages, pâtés, and other meats, and both provide various local foods, preserves, honeys, regional wines, and occasional items from farther afield.
The people who staff the fromageries are welcoming, happy to talk about their products, and generous with samples to taste. These boutiques are embedded in their communities, providing products considered essential to life—they have the atmosphere of small fromageries in residential neighborhoods of French towns and cities. A couple of them have adjacent picnic areas, where customers bring their bread (or buy it there), purchase cheese and perhaps other products, and sit down to a pleasant lunch (as we have done).
La Fromagerie Kaiser in Noyan is the best known of the fromageries in Haut Richelieu. It is just across the U.S.-Canada border, a short distance from the customs post on Route 225 north of Alburgh. It is in the middle of fields, two easy right turns from Route 225. Fromagerie Kaiser has been featured in Seven Days, and it draws a large crowd from the Montréal area, especially at holiday time—it is the only one that has a “take-a-number” machine, in use at times of high demand. It features a large range of cow’s milk cheeses made from their own herd’s milk, as well as some that are blended with goat’s milk and one entirely of water buffalo milk from elsewhere in Québec. Our favorites are the Douanier and Le Pont Tournant, but we have yet to try one we did not like.
La Fromagerie au Gré des Champs, a few kilometers north of Iberville (on right bank of the Richelieu River and part of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) is a personal favorite. It is also located among its fields and adjacent to its herd. It features cow’s milk cheeses from their own Swiss brown cows, but the store also carries excellent sheep (brébis) and goat (chèvre) milk cheeses from elsewhere in Québec. It is the northernmost of these fromageries, but still an easy drive up the A35 to Iberville.
Two smaller fromageries have more limited selections—mainly their own products. La Fromagerie des Cantons in Farnham, just into town from the western route 104 beltway around Farnham, offers several excellent cheeses. Closest to Burlington is Missiska: Éleveurs et Fromagers in Bedford, on Route 235 just north of the Route 202 intersection in the middle of Bedford. Their award-winning Jersey Royal soft cheese is excellent, as is their Brie-like Délice d’Emily. Missiska also sells its own milk, cream, and yogurt (plain, maple, and mixed berry), of a quality and freshness few of us have had the pleasure to experience.
A little farther away and to the west of the Richelieu River is La Fromagerie le Métayer, located just west of Napierville in Saint-Cyprien-de-Napierville. It is best known for its cheddar cheese and its L’Exil 1838—the latter celebrates their local Patriotes. Its cheddar en grains is widely sold as the perfect topping for poutine.
There are also at least two outstanding charcuteries in the region. Au Saucisson Vaudois in Sainte-Brigide-d’Iberville, on Route 104 between Mont-Saint-Grégoire and Farnham, has a large variety of sausages and pâtés, as well as a number of types and cuts of meat that are hard to find in the United States. The Charcuterie Stefan Frick, farther west in Lacolle, specializes in smoked meats but also has a variety of sausages and other charcuterie. It is in the northern part of Lacolle, set back from Route 221, a short distance from the border crossing at Rouse’s Point.
We have not mentioned the many excellent artisan fromageries to the east in the Brome-Missisquoi area of the Cantons de l’Est, which bear exploring. They are farther afield from the Burlington area, while the region immediately to our north provide easy access, quality, variety, and a friendly atmosphere a short distance from Burlington. We highly recommend them.
What foods can be brought into the United States from Canada?
In our experience with U.S. customs agents, meat and dairy products are fine as long as they are in a “personal use” quantity and are wrapped in paper or plastic with a label indicating the place where they were purchased. The one exception is raw poultry and eggs, which are currently (summer of 2024) prohibited because of avian flu. Other prohibited items are all fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as plants (including flowers). They can be imported only with USDA permitting; hence we can buy Canadian produce in our supermarkets but cannot import it as individuals. We have had no difficulty bringing home cheese, yogurt, and prepared charcuterie (sausages, pâté), as well as limited quantities of wine. For details, see the USDA’s “Traveling into the United States From Canada at Land Borders.”
Where to find them
Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, 459, chemin de la 4e Concession, Noyan, QC J0J 1B0
Fromagerie au Gré des Champs, 404, rang Saint-Édouard, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Iberville), QC J2X 5T9
Fromagerie des Cantons, 441, boulevard de Normandie Nord, Farnham, QC J2N 1W5
Missiska: Éleveurs et Fromagers, 100, rue Wheeler, Bedford, QC J0J 1A0
La Fromagerie le Métayer, 603-E, montée Douglass (Route 219), Saint-Cyprien-de-Napierville, QC J0J 1L0
Au Saucisson Vaudois, 368, rue Principale, Sainte-Brigide, QC J0J 1X0
Charcuterie Stefan Frick, 69, rue de l’Église Nord, Lacolle, QC J0J 1J0
—Erik and Kim Trinkaus
Photos by Erik and Kim Trinkaus