India’s cheese story just got a major glow-up, and this time, the world is paying attention. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly celebrated India’s big win at the Mundial do Queijo do Brasil 2026, it marked a turning point. Indian artisanal cheese, once niche and often overlooked, is now standing tall on a global stage. At the centre of this moment is Eleftheria Cheese, a Mumbai-based brand that has been passionately crafting cheese for years.
Eleftheria Cheese Wins 4 Big Medals And The Prime Minister’s Praise
Eleftheria’s story is as rich, layered, and exciting as the cheeses they make. At one of the most prestigious cheese competitions in the world, Eleftheria won big. For a young Indian brand, this is huge. Because these cheeses are not traditionally Indian, they come from deep European traditions. And yet, Eleftheria has taken those styles and reimagined them using Indian milk, Indian climate, and Indian craftsmanship.
The Winning Cheeses
If you’ve ever loved Brie, Gulmarg will win you over instantly. Their take on a French-style Brie is soft and incredibly creamy. As it ages, it develops a mushroomy, earthy flavour and a gooey texture in the centre. If you let it age even longer, it becomes intensely aromatic and luxuriously runny.
Not your typical cheese, Brunost, originally from Norway, is made using leftover whey. Instead of discarding it, it’s slowly cooked until the sugars caramelise, turning it into something unique. The final result is a soft cheese with a fudge-like texture. The flavour boasts deep caramel notes with a hint of saltiness. It’s the kind of cheese you can have for breakfast, dessert, or even as part of a cheese board.
Eleftheria’s Kaali Miri may look tiny, but it packs serious flavour. Inspired by Switzerland’s Belper Knolle, Kaali Miri is aged for a couple of months, coated in Kerala black pepper, and infused with garlic and Himalayan pink salt. It’s sharp, peppery, garlicky, and incredibly addictive. Mausam feels that this cheese has literally everything that an Indian palate loves.
A Bigger Shift Towards Redefining Indian Cheese
Traditionally, cheeses like Brie, Brunost, or Belper Knolle have always been associated with Europe. But what Eleftheria has shown is that great cheese is not about where it comes from but about how it’s made. By using local milk, understanding India’s climate, and sticking to traditional slow techniques, they’ve created cheeses that feel global but taste uniquely Indian.
Mausam Narang’s journey makes this even more inspiring. While studying in the UK, she began making cheese herself. She was experimenting, learning, failing, and trying again. Later, she trained with expert cheesemakers in Italy, sharpening her craft.
When she returned to India, she brought back a vision. She started small, selling at a farmer’s market in Mumbai. Over time, Eleftheria grew into a brand that now supplies to restaurants, home cooks, and gourmet stores across cities. Today, it’s one of the names leading India’s artisanal cheese movement.
Explaining why their cheese tastes so good, Mausam says, “Cheese is essentially milk with time and patience.” And that’s the heart of everything they do. They source milk from family-run farms in Maharashtra and focus on quality over speed. She believes that at the end of the day, the flavour of cheese comes from the milk itself, what the animals eat, the season, and the land. “Cheese is a reflection of where the milk comes from,’ she says.
How To Approach Mouldy Cheese For The First Time?
Photo: Instagram/@eleftheriacheese
If mouldy cheeses or strong flavours feel intimidating, you’re not alone. For the uninitiated, Mausam Narang has shared the perfect tips to approach them. She suggests starting with soft cheeses like Brie. She also recommends bringing it to room temperature before eating and pairing it with bread, fruit, or honey to balance flavours. And most importantly, she says, “The mould is intentional and safe, it contributes to flavour rather than spoilage.”
When a brand like Eleftheria Cheese wins global awards and gets recognised by the Prime Minister, it shines a light on Indian farmers and ingredients, as well as a growing community of artisanal makers. If you love cheese, this is the moment to explore what India has to offer.
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