Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese
Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese is a small, artisan cheese plant nestled in the rolling hills of Gunn's Hill road in Oxford County. The cheeses produced at Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese are truly unique, although you can taste the Swiss influence from the techniques and recipes Shep learned while making cheese in the town of Handeck, in the Swiss Alps. Today, there are two full time cheese makers and a team of staff that work diligently to produce some of Canada's finest, award winning cheeses. Owners Shep Ysselstein and Colleen Bator are proud of their thriving, little business.
The cheese plant is located in the heart of the Dairy Capital of Canada, and is only minutes away from downtown Woodstock. The milk used to create the cheeses comes from the neighbouring family dairy farm, Friesvale Farms, where the finest Canadian milk is produced. To ensure cheeses that are of top quality and taste, Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheeses are hand-crafted using traditional cheese making methods.
The owner and operator is Shep Ysselstein. Shep's journey to becoming a skilled cheese maker began on the family dairy farm, where not only did he love dairy farming, but he loved all of the delicious products that come from dairy. After Shep completed university, where he received a degree in business, Shep had numerous opportunities studying and making cheese in the United States, British Columbia, and most recently, Switzerland. It was during these ventures that Shep developed has passion and skill set for cheese making. If you'd like to learn about Shep's full cheese making process at Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese, check out this video!