Yes! The law for every part of Canada is that cheese can be made from raw milk if they are then aged for at least 60 days (this period gives the cheese time to develop enough acid to kill any potentially bad bacteria). The law also applies to imported cheeses.

Two of our members regularly offer cheese-tasting courses and seminars: Artisan Cheese Marketing and Cheese Culture. Some community colleges (in Toronto, George Brown) also offer courses.

In Ontario, your options are The University of Guelph's Cheesemaking Technology Course and courses by Glengarry Cheesemaking Supply. OCS is working on setting up a course for small-scale cheesemakers. Please check back for more information! There are many courses in neighbouring States. Please see our links page for addresses.

The University of Guelph's Department of Dairy Science and Technology has a useful page with recipes, Fifthtown Artisan Cheese runs courses, has a recipe page and many useful links. Glengarry Cheesemaking Supply has a video and book and offers courses.

No. There are no specific licencing requirements for individuals in Ontario. However, your building must be licenced, either by the local health authority (sheep milk only) or by The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (to sell cheese only in Ontario) or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (to sell cheese in other Provinces or countries). People do need a grader's licence to receive milk, and a pasteurizing certificate to pasteurize milk. The Ontario Government's website has more details.

The best place to start is the Government of Ontario's website which has extensive details.