Proulx Cheese Factory

Built in 1890, the Proulx Cheese Factory is one of the few remaining buildings of its kind in Ontario. It reflects the importance of locally run rural enterprises to the province’s agricultural development and the central role that cheesemaking had in the region. In the mid-1860s, cheesemaking moved from family farms to small rural factories where milk was easily sourced from surrounding farms. These factories once totalled over 1,200 in Ontario, largely manufacturing for export — including the growing cheddar trade with the United Kingdom. The industry began to decrease by the 1930s with significant change in the dairy industry. Closed in 1957, the Proulx Cheese Factory was rescued from demolition in the 1980s, earned a heritage designation in 1989, and was then carefully restored. In 1991, it became the Caledonia Art Centre and then privately owned. The building stands as a silent witness to an era when agriculture and its subset of cheesemaking were vital to the community. It is a symbol of the importance of local farm economies to the legacy of cheesemaking excellence.