PEI

Squeak-ies cheese to hit P.E.I. store shelves

A new cheese maker in western P.E.I. is looking to start a new food craze on the Island.

Cheese maker blasts off with Ignition funding

Once the Squeak-ies are established, Artisan Cheesehouse will look to expand to other products. (Province of P.E.I.)

A new cheese maker in western P.E.I. is looking to start a new food craze on the Island.

Mathieu Gallant, owner of Island Artisan Cheesehouse in Mont Carmel, describes the cheese curd product as a unique snack food experience.

"When actually you bite into it, the product actually squeaks in your mouth against your teeth. It gives you this whole clean feeling," said Gallant.

Economic Development Heath MacDonald and Mathieu Gallant pose with some Squeak-ies. (Province of P.E.I.)

"It's kind of like the same thing as the singing sands, when you walk on them you kind of get a noise out of it. Well, this is, I believe, the only cheese that does this."

The Squeak-ies cheese curds are a fresh cheese product, ready to eat the same day they're made, unlike other cheeses that are left to ripen or mature.

Gallant launched his business with the assistance of the Ignition Startup program from the provincial government. He used the money for market research and to invest in quality control measures.

For now, said Gallant, the Squeak-ies will be his only product. Once that's established, he said, he'll start making something else.

With files from Angela Walker