I am from upstate NY and like many have a local favorite for cheese made in the area, but I am always open to finding new sources and now as my husband would say ;; where do I live? I don't live in upstate NY. Finding a NC Cheese provider that makes something other than wheel cheese of which I am not a big fan, was both a challenge and a treat. I found my first Ashe County cheese at a local farmers market at the coast. I was hooked. A blue marble unlike any blue you have had . It's mild without the bite of many aged blue cheeses. Soft like a Gouda , not nearly as crumbly ( which for crumbles makes it a challenge) but if you like sharp , but not typically Blue cheese try it you might be a convert. Travel ling in the area I and a friend stopped in the shop in W. Jefferson, The drive was great and the location easy enough to find. The store is laden with all the cheese made at the factory across the street, and additionally 'souvenir' and country style goods. Skip the tourist section and head for the cheese counters. For the sharp cheese fans, they have a 1 year , 2 year and 5 year ( I believe) I don't recall seeing a 3 year. the sharp 5 year will melt in your mouth and has all the bite you want out of an aged cheddar, nice texture very uniform . Their Gouda was surprisingly mellow and smooth not as soft as some but it was not intended to be I bought more blue and have eaten it til I am blue . :) the only non Ashe Cheese I purchased was a sage which if you have not tried is an amazing cheese, like thanksgiving butter in your mouth. Staff was knowledgeable enough. Service was helpful and polite. They were all very young so I am not sure there were any experts in the house but I could be wrong. I had not real questions for them. Lines were long but moved quickly. My only annoyance was a family with a string of kids that must have spent 10 minutes sampling the same for cheeses like they thought they were at the steak house. Hey feed em when you can but if the line to test is long bring em around again and let some others have some. My only real disappointment was the Curd, small , and very crumbly with excessive water. I think this is new to the factory? But it's not something that is easy to perfect and I suspect it could be batch related. Taste was good, very mild, and it squeaked sufficiently, I just did not like how small the curds were. Made eating from the bag rather messy definitely a toothpick was necessary for these little morsels. I will try it again. Had coffee in town and looked around a bit many lovely scenes and as is most of this area very picturesque. Look for it in local organic markets, or take a trip. I paired the blue with some VA Gala apples would have rather had honey crisp but the season is trashed by early frost. The cheddar is perfect with ripe heirloom tomatoes on hard bread. read more

I'm in the viewing room now watching them clean the tanks after this I'm going across the street go thrue the store the store is really nice I'm geting me some goat cheese god its so good read more

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One of the few Cheese making companies in North Carolina. They make the cheese here and they have a showroom/tasting room where they sell their cheeses and a whole bunch of other local and not so local items. You can see cheese being made from a viewing area. read more

Really bummed that we drove an hour to the cheese factory just to be told they decided not to make cheese this morning...called to double check late yesterday before wasting a trip and were told 8:30-1 today.Talked to an employee who just told us basically oh well, then talked to manager and he could care less about ruining the kids activity for the day...they were really excited to go because they love cheese. read more

Ashe County Cheese - Hubby and kids before finding out they were not going to see the cheese making... - Cheese Shops Near Me - West Jefferson, North Carolina

Loved it! Really clean shop with lots of different varieties of cheeses , wine, candy, jams, chocolate. They also have great gift baskets. read more

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Stopped in after a drive to west Jefferson from Boone just to see what the town has going on. Saw a cheese place. Had to stop. Got lots of cheese and asked the girl behind the counter about a place for good pizza. She sent us 20 minutes up the road to pie on the mountain. It was good. The cheese we got from Ashe was also good. Thanks for the heads up. We will be back. read more

Nothing like driving far to visit the store only to find out that the restrooms are not open to the public. Somehow this store reasons closing bathrooms will prevent the spread of covid. Do not recommend. Overpriced products and a complete waste of time and money. read more

A little pricey, but I love cheese so it didn't matter to me. Tours stop at 1pm on Saturdays (major upset). But I know for the next time I come back to the area, I'll have to just go bright and early in the morning to see how they make their cheese. I'm not sure how much they check their shelf product but some of the cheeses had finger impressions as if a child handled or played with the cheese for sale. Not cool. Anyway, once I finally figured out which two cheeses I wanted, and some that wasn't tampered with, I got to the register and the cashier didn't greet me, didn't tell me my total, and didn't say thank you, instead replying with ok after I prompted her by saying thank you first. I don't appreciate bad service anywhere I go, and considering I was already disappointed because the tours stopped at 1pm, I was a little perturbed. Hopefully this cheese is as good as it's touted to be. And if anyone working with this business reads this, you may want to check your stock of candy because several items were out of stock. read more

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A dissenting view. The aged, sharp cheeses are good, the others are OK. There are a variety of flavored cheeses which are worth trying and are often available to sample. It is a popular stop in West Jefferson as the cheese is made in a facility across the street. Ice cream, old time candy and assorted dry snack mixes are also available. read more

Great Cheese, made on site. You can also watch the cheese being made while you are shopping. It is set up for tourist coming into West Jefferson, but prices aren't too high and worth the money read more

We bought a tub of Ashe County Cheese's butter at a Country Store near Mabry Mill, VA. I'm hooked. I had some on an english muffin with Tuggle Farms strawberry preserves and it may have been the best thing I've had in my life. I am a fan! read more

I've been visiting this store for over 20 years. I highly recommend their sharp cheddar, port wine cheddar and white Swiss cheese spreads. I've turned so many people on to them, really delicious. They have tons of locally made blocks of cheese, dozens upon dozens of flavors. You can also find homemade fudge, local sauces, dips, ice cream and local crafts. Everything is reasonably priced and it's fun trying so many cheeses. Go for the spread! read more

Visiting this store has become my Autumn tradition around leaf peeping season. Love the variety and its just a fun place to visit. The store is so fun to browse in and is stocked with all types of jams, jellies, cheese and pickles. Can't get much better. I imagine it is what visiting a store in Mayberry would have been like if I could step into the show. Just slow paced and relaxing. read more

Love this place! We're from Florida, but visit this area a couple times a year. One of our stops is the Ashe County Cheese shop. First of all, the town of West Jefferson, NC is quaint and beautiful. The cheese shop has some samples out for you to try before you buy. They have so many cheeses to purchase, I couldn't guess how many flavors. Some of our favorites are the Jack and Dill, the caraway seed cheese and the Carolina Blue marble. Don't forget the cheese curds - tasty! They also have a location across the street where you can watch cheese being made. I've heard that the ice cream is great although I've never tried it. If you like cheese, you must go here! read more

A great excuse for a trip up to the mountains. The historic appearing town of Jefferson is picturesque and humming. Dont miss out on the cheese curds, which should be eaten the same day for best flavor, that is if you have any left within minutes of opening the bag for a taste! They also have an amazing selection of many other cheeses, jams, honeys, wines, fudges and ice cream along with other assorted goodies and a few souvenier items. They even have excellent butter made with their own milk. The jams and honeys are all top notch. Different days of the week are cheese making days and are listed on their website. The prices are very reasonable. If you forget to bring a cooler have no fear, they offer cooler bags and ice packs. Make sure to follow your visit with a meal at the Shatley Springs Inn which is nearby. read more

Excelent cheese and cheese products, but I'm not giving 5 stars due to the service behind the counter. No smiles and not many answers to very simple questions. read more

Great variety of cheese ! Lots of home made items to choose from ! Great prices ! Home made fudge as well.

We took the children to see the cheese factory and unfortunately there wasn't much going on inside when we stopped by. The kids were kind of disappointed but we never came across any schedule of when the "cheese making" occurred so we left. We made a stop at the store across the street to try out some cheese and man I wish I would have bought more. Some of the best cheese I've ever had. Pair it with a beer or glass of wine and you'll definitely be satisfied! Fudge was good and my son really enjoyed his ice cream. They let you sample the cheese before you purchase which was a huge plus. We purchased the pepper jack, sharp cheddar, blue marble (I think that's what it was called), and the beer jack. All were great! read more

Ashe County Cheese - Pepper jack, blue marble, and beer jack cheese - Cheese Shops Near Me - West Jefferson, North Carolina

Had an awesome time! Loved the gift shop with all the different cheeses, butter, candy, nuts, wine, etc. awesome stop and honestly the best fudge I have ever tasted. The viewing area of the making of the cheese is very entertaining even though we actually missed them actually making the cheese as we were running close to closing time. Was interesting watching them clean everything. read more

We stopped by today to see the cheese making. Some of the things we read online made us think there was a tour. It is just a viewing room of the factory floor. There is a TV in the viewing room explaining the cheese making process. I could have sat there all day and watched. The cheese makers got my sons attention a few times before they added ingredients or started mixing the cheese. It was really nice of them to do that, he is 3 so he would not have seen what they were doing otherwise. This was definitely a good trip. read more

Always a fun place to shop. Ashe County Cheese has much more than great cheese! The prices are great, the wine and candy selection is fantastic. read more

Can't go back to Georgia without Ashe County Cheese, ally friends and co-workers text me their orders. Love the horseraddish cheese, cant find it anywhere else. Other favorites include ghost pepper, gàrlic chive with fresh herbs and the fried jalepeno. The store staff is always friendly and helpful. read more

Fun visit watching the informational video and getting to see the making of cheese. Shop across the street was awesome. It was so busy we could hardly move around but that's because so many people were enjoying their visit. Worth the trip. read more

Two words...cheese curds! Having a lot of family in Wisconsin means I have been around great tasting cheese curds for many years. I recently moved to Charlotte, NC and made the trip up to Ashe County Cheese Co. to try their cheese curds. I am glad I did! Not only are the cheese curds great, but the store is full of local food products that taste amazing. Anywhere from fudge to fruit ciders...they have it all! Great place for a day trip. I would highly suggest it to all cheese lovers! read more

Great blue cheese and jams. Their website orders are processed quickly and accurately. In addition to great Xmas present ideas, always use some of my annual bonus this time of year to order a large box of good stuff from Ashe County Cheese Co. read more

It's a small little business in downtown West Jefferson where you can see cheese being made. They have a unique supply of cheese products for sale. If you are visiting Ashe County, stop by and see this place. The staff is very friendly. read more

Great stop to see how they make the cheese. Gift shop is nice and has plenty to offer. Recommend stopping when in the area.

Purchased a cheddar and Swiss with caraway seeds. Cheddar was okay-but not any better than name-brand grocery brands. Swiss was AWFUL...taste and texture were like processed cheese. I wanted to like this place...so dissappointed read more

Best place to visit while in town. Always friendly service and the best squeaky cheese around. Not to mention all the yummy ice cream to brighten your day! read more

They have the only "Squeaky cheese" I have ever seen. It is the best and we all love it. The store is small and quaint but the cheese is definitely worth coming to town to get. read more