The 6 Best Artisanal Cheesemakers in Israel (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 6 picks

The best artisanal cheesemakers in Israel in 2026 are Shai Seltzer in the Judean Hills, Kornmehl Farm in the Negev and Ein Kamonim in the Galilee. Israel's small-dairy movement is barely forty years old but the goat and sheep cheeses it produces are genuinely world-class, helped by hill grazing and a long dry season. Six worth driving to, below.

1. Shai Seltzer — Judean Hills, near Jerusalem

Israel's most celebrated cheesemaker, ageing goat cheese in a hillside cave.

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Shai Seltzer has been making goat cheese in the hills west of Jerusalem since the 1970s, ageing it in a natural cave and grazing his herd on the surrounding scrub — the closest thing Israel has to a founding figure in artisanal cheese.

The cheeses are strongly flavoured and unlike anything the industrial dairies produce, and the setting is half the experience: a working hillside farm rather than a visitor centre.

Visits are informal and depend on him being there. Call rather than turning up.

Good to know: Combine with Ein Kerem and the Judean Hills wineries, all within a short drive.

Google Maps Website

2. Kornmehl Farm — Negev Highlands, near Sde Boker

Desert goat cheese, with the best lunch on the Negev road attached.

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Kornmehl runs a goat herd on the Negev Highlands and turns the milk into fresh and aged cheeses, sold at the farm and served in an open-sided restaurant looking out over the desert.

It is one of the pioneering farm-to-table projects in Israel and remains among the most enjoyable places to eat in the south.

The fresh cheeses are the ones to order; the aged wheels are what to buy.

Good to know: The natural lunch stop between Mitzpe Ramon and Sde Boker — check opening hours before committing to the drive.

Google Maps Website

3. Ein Kamonim — Upper Galilee, near Karmiel

The original Galilee cheese farm restaurant, and still the template everyone copies.

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Ein Kamonim in the Galilee hills has been making goat cheese and serving it to visitors for decades, and effectively invented the Israeli cheese-farm-with-a-restaurant format.

The meal is a board of the farm's cheeses with bread, salads, olives and oil, eaten outdoors under the trees. There is not much choice and there does not need to be.

It is a fixture of Galilee road trips and busy at weekends.

Good to know: Weekdays are much quieter; at weekends it fills with families from across the north.

Google Maps Website

4. Hameiri Dairy — Old City, Safed

The dairy that invented Tzfat cheese, still working in the same city since the 1830s.

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The Hameiri family began making cheese in Safed in the 1830s, and the dairy that carries their name is the origin of Tzfat cheese — now a national category sold in every supermarket in Israel.

The version made here bears little resemblance to the industrial one: saltier, firmer and with far more character.

The dairy sits in the Old City among the synagogues and the artists' quarter, so it fits easily into a day in Safed.

Good to know: Buy the aged version rather than the fresh — it is the one you cannot get anywhere else.

Google Maps Website

5. Tzuriel Dairy — Western Galilee

Serious aged sheep and goat cheeses from a small Western Galilee dairy.

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Tzuriel is one of the Western Galilee's respected small dairies, working with sheep and goat milk and producing aged cheeses that turn up on the boards of good restaurants across the country.

It is a producer rather than an attraction — smaller and quieter than Ein Kamonim — which suits people who came for the cheese rather than the day out.

The Western Galilee around it is one of the prettiest and least-visited parts of Israel.

Good to know: Call ahead. Small dairies keep irregular hours and are not always staffed for visitors.

Google Maps Website

6. Basher Fromagerie — Carmel Market, Tel Aviv

Not a maker, but the shop that sells all of them — and the easiest way to taste the country's cheese in one stop.

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Basher in the Carmel Market is the best cheese shop in Israel: a counter stacked with Israeli artisanal cheeses alongside imported European ones, run by people who will let you taste before you commit.

There is a small wine bar attached, which turns a shopping trip into a very good hour.

If you are not driving to the farms, this is where to eat their cheese.

Good to know: Ask specifically for the Israeli producers — the imported European selection is good but not the point.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

What kind of cheese does Israel make?

Mostly goat and sheep, because those animals suit the hill country and the climate far better than dairy cattle. The range runs from fresh labneh and soft chèvre through semi-hard tommes to genuinely aged cave-ripened wheels. Cow's-milk cheese exists but is dominated by the big industrial dairies.

What is Tzfat cheese?

Tzfat (Safed) cheese is a semi-soft, salty white sheep's or cow's milk cheese first made by the Hameiri family in Safed in the 1830s, and now the name of a whole category made across the country. The original dairy still operates in Safed and it tastes noticeably better than the supermarket version.

Can you visit Israeli cheese farms?

Yes — most of the artisanal dairies welcome visitors and several have restaurants attached serving their own cheese with bread, salads and oil. A car is effectively required, and calling ahead is sensible since many are one- or two-person operations.

Is Israeli artisanal cheese kosher?

Many of the small dairies hold certification and many do not — it varies producer by producer and is not always the priority for a two-person hillside operation. If it matters to you, check the specific dairy rather than assuming either way.

Can I take Israeli cheese home?

Legally, that depends on your destination country — the EU, the UK, the US and Australia all restrict or ban personal imports of dairy from outside their zones. Practically, soft cheese does not survive a long flight well either. Buy olive oil, tahini or halva to take home and eat the cheese here.

Where can I buy artisanal Israeli cheese without driving to a farm?

Basher Fromagerie in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv is the best cheese shop in the country and stocks most of the serious Israeli producers. Sarona Market and the Tel Aviv Port farmers market also carry a good selection.

1. Shai Seltzer — Judean Hills, near Jerusalem

2. Kornmehl Farm — Negev Highlands, near Sde Boker

3. Ein Kamonim — Upper Galilee, near Karmiel

4. Hameiri Dairy — Old City, Safed

5. Tzuriel Dairy — Western Galilee

6. Basher Fromagerie — Carmel Market, Tel Aviv

Frequently asked questions

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