Cheese making is a family affair for the Schalkwyk family. They immigrated in 1995 and settled between Red Deer and Sylvan Lake starting their dairy farm with a herd of Holstein’s. Unable to find a good piece of Gouda, John handed the dairy over to his son Jeroen and in 1999 decided to return to his former career as a cheese maker. John has a long history of making Gouda as he perfected his art for 30 years in Holland having learned from his mother who also made Gouda.
Today, two decades later, Sylvan Star Cheese is renowned for its farm-made Gouda. Sylvan Star Cheese has won numerous Canadian awards and its prestige continues to spread!
We strive hard from field to final product to tantalize your taste buds. Our cheese is made from the milk of our own cows raised and fed from our lands. This is the most important part in cheese making, what you feed the cows. A high diet of alfalfa and grass makes the cream in the milk softer and flavorful which is shown in the taste of this amazing Gouda. Made in a time honoured traditional way our cheese uses thermalized milk, cultures and rennet with no additional additives. This is to ensure that the care taken in the field and in the milking parlour translates the best quality milk into the best quality cheese. Our cheese is ripened naturally at room temperature which allows the culture to use the lactose, which means the cheese is lactose free This care and attention to quality has earned our product the according recognition it is due. Voted the best Gouda in Canada by the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix
You’ve gotta try our Smoked Gouda! It has won numerous Canadian awards including 2nd place in the world.