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A good proportion of the specialty cheese that comes into Portland gets here by way of Cowbell (231 SE Alder St., 503-946-8485, cowbellpdx.com). The importer and distributor runs out of a small warehouse space in the Buckman neighborhood. Wholesale grocery and restaurant clients account for 90% of its sales, a long list that includes New Seasons, Providore and Zupan’s as well as Luce, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty and Nostrana. But the other 10% of business is done out of the back of the warehouse.
At any given time, 75 cheeses from around the world are on hand at Cowbell’s one-car-garage-sized retail shop, and up to 100 around the holidays. They’re all written on a board by the counter, which is as thrilling as it is overwhelming. But talking with the cheesemongers is a huge part of the shop’s magic.
Cowbell specializes in small-scale cheeses, types that can be finicky to ship and also change quickly with the seasons. Manager Sam Rollins describes Cowbell’s customers as “people who are willing to buy something really special one week—and then the next week, we probably don’t have it anymore, and they have to try something new.”
The U.S. only has what are known as “artisan” cheesemakers; the country is too young in cheese years to have bona fide “traditional” cheeses. Those are the banner names you know from Europe, like Parmigiano Reggiano, Gruyère and English cheddar, that have recipes that go back hundreds and sometimes even a thousand years.
Tasting at the counter is a guaranteed trip around the world. Rollins sources Mahón from the historic producer Quintana, on the Spanish island of Menorca. There’s also Quicke’s Mature Clothbound, a proper English cheddar made by a long line of women cheese makers in Devon. And why not try Wrångebäcksost, Sweden’s first-ever name-protected cheese?
“We always talk about supporting local,” Rollins says, “but local to somewhere, not necessarily here.”
See the rest of Willamette Week’s Best of Portland 2026 here!
