Faino Craft Cheese Dairy, Truskavets

Faino Craft Cheese Dairy is a small family cheese dairy with its own cheese shop on Stebnytska Street in Truskavets. Cheese is made here from farm cow’s milk from the Carpathian foothills and sold right where it matures: fresh brined and soft cheeses, aged semi-hard ones, plus yoghurts, kefir and sweet curd desserts. In a resort best known for its pump rooms and sanatoriums, this is a rare place where you can watch a living craft and take a taste of the region home.

The dairy opened in 2024 and quickly became a favourite with holidaymakers: on Google Maps it has an average rating of 4.7 from a few dozen reviews, with guests singling out the belper knolle with lemon pepper and the honest farm milk. The owner, Olena, often serves behind the counter herself and is happy to suggest what each cheese goes best with.

Why go: a cheese-making workshop and tasting

Besides shopping, the main reason to visit is the cheese-making workshop in Truskavets. According to the dairy, every Saturday at 11:00 it runs a tour of the production area followed by a hands-on class: guests see how milk is selected and prepared, how the curd forms, and how cheese is shaped and salted. Participants make small cheeses themselves (photos from past classes show heart-shaped soft cheeses), and the programme ends with a tasting of fresh cheese. It works well for families with children and for anyone spending a few weeks in Truskavets who wants something meaningful to do between treatments.

The dairy does not publish a fixed price or duration for the workshop, so book a place in advance by phone and ask about the price and group size at the same time.

What to taste and buy

• Brynza – soft, moderately salty, a staple of Carpathian cooking with banosh, varenyky or salads.
• Mozzarella and burrata – fresh cheeses for lovers of a creamy taste.
• Belper knolle – piquant cheese balls rolled in pepper and spices, the item reviewers mention most.
• Camembert and brie – white-rind cheeses matured at the dairy.
• Semi-hard cheeses, ricotta, ayran, kefir, drinking yoghurts and yoghurts with freeze-dried fruit, sweet curd desserts.

The range depends on the season and on what has matured, so the best approach is to ask to taste a few and build your own cheese board. The dairy also ships across Ukraine by post, so you can reorder your favourite once you are back home.

Cheese-making in the Carpathian foothills has deep roots: brynza, budz and vurda have long been made here from sheep’s and cow’s milk. Faino combines that local know-how with European recipes, from Alpine to French styles, while working only with local milk.

Practical information

• Address: 49B Stebnytska St, Truskavets (eastern part of town, on the road towards Stebnyk).
• Shop hours: Tuesday–Saturday 9:00–19:00, Monday 9:00–17:00, closed Sunday (per Google Maps; check before you go).
• Workshop: every Saturday at 11:00, booking required.
• Phone: +380 96 836 25 70.
• Delivery: shipping across Ukraine.

Getting there: the dairy is about 1.5 km from central Truskavets (the Resort Park and Pump Room No. 1) – a 20-minute walk along Stebnytska or Mazepy Street, or a few minutes by car or taxi. Truskavets is about 100 km from Lviv and easy to reach by train or bus; from the station you can walk. There is room to stop briefly by car outside the dairy.

At a glance

• Address: Truskavets
• Opening hours: Tue–Sat 9:00–19:00, Mon 9:00–17:00, closed Sun; workshop every Saturday at 11:00 by booking
• Season: All year round
• Prices: Ask by phone for cheese and workshop prices.
• Phone: +380968362570

Website and social media: youtube.com

Photos: lh3.googleusercontent.com; i.ytimg.com.