UzOnkA farm in Ozunca-Băi: aged mountain cheeses

A mountain farm where cheese ripens in a stone cellar

Ozunca-Băi (Hungarian: Uzonkafürdő) is a small mountain settlement in Covasna County at about 700 metres above sea level, 7 km from the spa town of Băile Tușnad, on the far side of Mount Piliske (1,374 m). This is home to UzOnkA, a family farm and small cheese dairy. Its founder, Bodor Jakab, was born and raised on the farm: his grandparents settled on these ridges and spent their lives raising livestock. After his studies Jakab worked in another field for a while, but came home to carry on the family’s work. Since 2016 his wife Emilia has been building the farm up with him.

At first the couple taught themselves to make and mature cheese, went to markets and fairs and talked to customers. Today the farm is certified organic, and the owners call their approach regenerative farming: no synthetic fertilisers or pesticides, only manure from their own farm. The cows graze mountain meadows all season and get no grain, maize or soya; they drink spring water. All the cows have genetically tested A2/A2 milk.

The milk from the farm’s own cows is turned into cheeses that ripen slowly in a traditional stone cellar built almost 90 years ago, at a steady temperature of about 14 °C. In 2026 the farm’s “Flora” cheese won a gold medal at the international “Treasures of the East” competition.

Why go

UzOnkA is a real working farm, not a set built for tourists, and that is exactly what the owners show their guests. The guided visit takes about 60 minutes: you walk across the mountain pastures, meet the cows, calves and goats, see the tractors and the farm up close, go down into the old stone cellar and finish by tasting six artisan cheeses – from young to well aged – with seasonal accompaniments.

It is especially good for families with children: little ones feed the animals from their hands, cuddle the kids, play with the dogs and cats and, where it is safe, may sit briefly on an animal used to people. A children’s workshop can be added to the first programme: the children make their own cheese and take it home.

What to taste and buy

• UzOnkA aged cheeses – hard cheeses with a natural rind, including the award-winning “Flora”.
• “Léda” cheese with lavender and spiced cheeses, among them “Montis”, matured for two years.
• Maasdam-style cheese with large holes.
• Tasting with wine – in the second and third programmes the cheeses come with wine.

You can buy the cheeses at the farm after the tasting or order them from the farm’s online shop.

Practical information

Address: Ozunca-Băi no. 60, Bățani commune, Covasna County. About 7 km from Băile Tușnad and about 40 km from Miercurea Ciuc. From Ukraine the easiest route is via the Porubne–Siret border crossing, then Suceava, the Bicaz Gorge and Miercurea Ciuc – about 320 km in total. The last stretch is a local mountain road.

Hours: daily 10:00–17:00, by prior booking only (visits start every 30 minutes; choose the date and time in the online form on the farm’s website or arrange it by phone).

Prices (as of November 2026): programme 1 – farm tour and tasting of six cheeses, 60 lei per adult; programme 2 – cheeses and a glass of wine, 80 lei; programme 3 – premium tasting of six cheeses with three wines, 150 lei (minimum 4 adults). Children aged 5–12 pay 30 lei, under 5 free; the children’s cheese-making workshop costs an extra 50 lei (minimum two children).

Contact: 0775 209 437, [email protected].

Nearby

• Ciomatu Mare – the volcanic massif with Lake Saint Anne and the Mohoș peat bog.
• Băile Tușnad – a spa town with mineral waters in the Olt gorge.
• Csíki Sör brewery in Sânsimion – Harghita craft beer with a brewery tour.
• Ozunca Pass (Pasul Ozunca) – a mountain road between the Ciuc basin and the Erdővidék area.

Official website: uzonka.ro

Photos: UzOnkA, official website.