Leelanau Cheese

Can't say enough about the amazing raclette I purchased from Leelanau Cheese. I learned about raclette when working in Switzerland years ago, and this is every bit as good. Melts beautifully and tastes incredible. Excellent flavor and consistency. Was shipped quickly and thoughtfully, and when I called with a question, they were friendly and helpful. Thank you for crafting this amazing cheese-my friends and family absolutely loved it!

So many very tasted cheese, nice prices, local design, quiet place, very cool.

Leelanau Cheese is a cool creamery to stop at if you enjoy cheese. They seem to specialize in raclette cheese and fresh cheese, and both are excellent. I was able to sample a bit in the store, and the stuff I bought was delicious. The black truffle raclette is full of truffle flavor, and the fresh cheese is wonderful with crackers. The staff was very welcoming and was in the process of shooting a Youtube video while I was there. The place is well worth a stop if you like cheese at all.

Do not miss this place if you are anywhere near Lelanau. They make their own cheese and then make the most delicious daily specials. When we visited they were making Cuban sandwiches and cheesy steamed potatoes. They melt the cheese right in front of you and then pour it on. Definitely stunning! Our cheese expert who helped us was generous with his time and very helpful

We have been stopping by here on our trips to the area for about 9 years now, and have yet to be disappointed. On our most recent trip, we were able to get some of the few food items they offer and were amazed by them. The French onion soup was wonderful and worth it even in the summer heat. The bowl was great as well and the flavors and textures of the different ingredients were a great experience. We weren’t expecting to have lunch there, but were very glad we took advantage of the offerings. One bowl and one soup were enough to split between my wife and I. A great addition to an already great cheese shop and we look forward to visiting again as soon as we can.

OMG. Cheese is unbelievable! We spent a LOT here. Worth every penny. Do it. If you enjoy tasteful, good quality cheese at a fair price, do it. Take a cooler.

John And Anne create some amazing cheese. Hard work, skill, and love are the secret ingredients that make their cheese so good. I documented a day in their life years ago, and the day starts very early and the hard work never seems to end. They were pleasantly lost in their work. I was impressed by their focus and almost cheerful approach to the work at hand. I never knew cheese could taste so good. I'm not sure the would consider themselves as artists, but trust me, they are. So if you find yourself in the Leelanau area, you must try their cheese. Cheers

Delicious samples and helpful information about how to order cheese to be shipped when I want more than what I bought to bring home with me. Nestled in a valley off the busy main highways it's worth it trip. Then drive though the hills and along the very scenic bay.

Small but very good selection. Grabbed a raclette with potatoes, cornicons, salami for four to eat in the yard. Absolutely delightful!

Where's the cheese? How is this a cheese place? There's one tiny fridge of cheese and half is it is Raclette. We were the only ones there. No one asked if they could help. No one offered us a sample. I don't understand. So we left. ‍

Incredibly delicious cheese, dips, and kind midwest hospitality you just can't find anywhere else. Highly recommend especially if you're in the area wine tasting! I wish the vineyards would serve their cheese instead of crackers and other non-local products.

Cheese. End of the story. Actually, it's really good cheese. The raclette that I chose was wonderful and I can't wait to try it in a grilled cheese. The cheese curds are snappy and tasty - and I enjoyed having a laugh with the woman working here today, pleasant and encouraging.

The fellow working the front went above and beyond in preparing several bags of cheese curds for us. The cheese curds are the best we've ever had.

Our favorite place for cheese in the area. We started bringing home their delicious cheese way way back when they were still at Black Star. Now established in their own building no trip to Traverse is complete without picking up a block (or several) of their Raclette. Their shop is cute but I agree they need to up the sample choices and help the upsell by pairing that cheese with some of the other specialty foods available in the store. Everyone should pick up some snacks before they hit the wine tour!

I slam my brakes and go bonkers when I see a specialty cheese store. Leelanau Cheese is located in Sutton Bay, Michigan off M22 South of Black Star Farms. Their European style cheeses are pure, fresh, local cow's milk -adding no color or preservatives. Their main and top seller is the Raclette cheese and French Style Fromage Blanc cheese spread. I was excited to visit and try whatever they had to offer. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the visible large windows where you can see the cheese makers in action. The only cheese available to taste at the time was the Raclette cheese. WOW! it was delicious! It tasted like a swiss/buttery/cheddar mix. Very smooth and not pungent. We purchased a small bag of the rosemary crackers for $3.50 and 4 oz. Raclette cheese for $6.00. Such a great buy! Besides cheese, they also sell gifts like cutting boards, jams, jellies, etc. What an ideal and perfect location. It's near the wineries and not to hard to find. Employee was super friendly! A must visit. I got their hours from the website: *Monday to Saturday *May-October from 10-6 *November-April from 11-5 *Sundays year round from 12-5

Get your raclette here! Don't settle for substitutes. There are some cute MI souvineers too. Watch out for the hidden driveway approaching and leaving!

Oh my goodness...the cheese here is amazingly tasty. They say it's a variety of Swiss cheese, bit it's not like any that I've ever tasted. It's nutty and sharp like cheddar. It would make an amazing macaroni and cheese dish. Do yourself a favor and stop here on the way to 2 K Ciders to have some great cheese with your cider.

The "tasting room" is way too small. They were not very friendly...BUT the Raclette cheese (apparently the only one they make) was nothing short of an excellent cheese!! Probably better to make this a side trip while tasting wine at Black Star Farms next door.

Amazing cheese!!! I could never leave this area without buying a bunch of there cheese. Yes they only make raclute cheese. But it is absolutely creamy with a small sharp tast amd smooth as butter. Did I mention ot is absolutely amazing!! It is also very cheap. If your a cheese lover like I am then you will know when you only pay $5-$6 for a small brick... that is a good price.

Loved the raclette cheese from here. They don't have the cheese makers on Mondays. So that was disappointing. But it was still worth stopping to get the cheese. Definitely worth the stop!

BEST CHEESE IN THE WORLD! Excellent service. Knowledgeable staff. Super fun to watch the making cheese! All sorts of stuff to go with your cheese. Can't wait to get more!

Two stars because we LOVE the cheese. But, every time we go in and buy several pounds of raclette, we leave angry at the terrible customer service. Haven't found a friendly person there yet. We had some itty bitty samples once, but not of raclette. They wouldn't even give us two punches for a $60 purchase. The guy is terribly arrogant.

Stop here if you want a major buzzkill while on a wine tasting tour in the leelanau area. Ugh. The girl working the register was just so unpleasant, she actually ruined the entire experience of this place. It was so promising from the exterior, especially with its location right down the road from black star farms, it seemed like a perfect option to stop and peruse local cheese offerings. And what kind of speciality boutique cheese shop has only one kind of their cheese available for sample? We took the chance and purchased the aged raclette. While it's possible we could have sampled on request, there was no such offer from the staff. We were honestly too afraid to ask. Bummed out about this place considering we were so excited to stop here. As it turns out, our cheese was delicious when we tasted it at home, the best kind of nutty and tangy you could hope for from an aged raclette, but the overall experience makes me not motivated to support this local business. Such a shame.

If the Leelanau cheese makers cared about their cheese, they would hire staff who reflected their passion. Why invest in a cheese cellar buried underground, when you have basic staff at the front desk who does not care one bit? It is amazing how the air is sucked out of the room as soon as you walk into the shop. The staff is not friendly. They offer one cheese for sample, and the rest is sterilely packaged. Why not sample more? Why not exude more passion? We were excited to stop here during our wine tour, but unfortunately it was a huge disappointment. Negative stars for all of the above. Two stars only because the cheese was decent.

Right around the corner from the Black Star tasting room is Leelanau Cheese. It's a small batch shoppe that makes mostly Raclette. It's similar to a Romano Swiss type cheese that is firm in texture and structured in its flavor. The shoppe is nothing more than a small room with a couple refrigerators chilling their product with a cash register and a screen patio door looking into the cheese room. The owners seemed passionate about their cheese which is always a welcome sign. We each grabbed up a little block of the Raclette for snacking back at the cabin and it was delicious. I feel like I would've missed out on the Black Star experience had we not stopped in. This is a great little stop for a knob of really tasty cheese (if you like cheese). The cheese was 4 stars. Unfortunately their selection is very limited hence the 3 star review but I would hope that they expand over the next few years as the owners were commenting about growing their business. I hope to see more from Leelanau Cheese and when I'm back in the area I'll be back for another snack.

Tiny storefront and cheese making room tucked behind Black Star Farm's wine tasting area. Their selection is small but wonderful. We loved the sharp Raclette, a slightly funky delicious cow's milk cheese that is best served in the Swiss style also called raclette (melted alongside toasted rustic bread, cornichons, and roasted herbed potatoes). We loved the quaint shop size and offerings, not to mention the kind person manning the shop!

Boom. Five stars. So, we've been coming here to Traverse City many times, and the last two times we've went to Leelanau cheese. The tasting room is a good size, and you can see the workers making the cheese. Behind the main building you can see the raclette aging. Go check it out! The person at the register was very friendly and very knowledgeable about the two cheeses. Fellow vegetarians, both cheeses are made with vegetable rennet, at the time I'm writing this. I loved the fromage blanc, and even though I didn't care for the other cheese, my family thought it was great. If you pass by, definitely try the cheeses! You will regret not getting some.

Nice place to stop and see. Their cheese is really good and the whole process is interesting. The gentleman is really nice and attended us very well. We will be back and definitely will recommend.

This place could be great if the service wasn't so bad. Made a special stop by here because we heard wonderful things about their cheese. They had one sample of their mild cheese. Good cheese but VERY unfriendly and arrogant service. Very short replies to my questions and did not seem to care if we purchased a thing. We LOVE cheese and would have made a big purchase if the service was more accommodating. Will not be stopping by there again and will not recommend it to others. Gave two stars because their cheese is decent.

Best cheese ever!!! We've been customers by mail after trying this cheese at a party. We were able to stop in the store when we were on vacation in northern Michigan, and it did not disappoint. We not only bought a ton of cheese, but also some other fun goodies from the store. We met the owners, John and Anne, and learned about the back story of the business. Such a great place! Definitely stop by if in the area!

Heard their cheese is amazing. Drove all the way up from Indiana to try it. Unfortunately their hours do not follow the hours on their website and they were already closed. Will have to wait until next year to give them a taste. Someone should update their website, so others do not have this issue.