We know there are lots of great Canadian cheeses, but we can’t find them in the United States. Why?
There are a couple of reasons. Some of the smaller Canadian cheesemakers have trouble keeping up with the demand from the Canadian market, thus making it difficult to supply the US market. It’s also a question of the price of raw ingredients, which in this case is milk. Canadian milk prices are supply-managed to support dairy farmers both internally and through import tariffs, ultimately making their final products more expensive than those of their American and European counterparts.
Eric McLean
Eric McLean is the co-owner of McLean’s Specialty Foods in Nanaimo, British Columbia, which opened on scenic Vancouver Island in 1992. He and his wife Sandy count both Canadians and Americans among their longtime customers.
