Cheese and Meat Festival returns to North Vancouver Sept. 26 at The Pipe Shop

The Story

The Cheese and Meat Festival returns to North Vancouver on Saturday, Sept. 26, bringing together food and drink producers for an event focused on tasting products while learning directly from the people behind them.

The festival is scheduled for The Pipe Shop, where organizers say participating producers will introduce visitors to cheeses, meats, spreads, sauces and drinks. Festival director David Bain said the event is designed to make it easier for shoppers to understand both where a product is made and how it is produced.

Bain noted that it can be difficult to determine a product’s origin and process when buying through grocery stores, and he described the festival as an opportunity to taste before committing. He said attendees will be able to identify preferences by product labels after learning from makers during the event, rather than searching for a specific item later without enough information.

This year’s festival includes more than 30 producers from across B.C. and Canada, according to a release. The programming is positioned as an alternative to standard retail shopping by providing a setting where samples are available and visitors can ask questions directly.

Organizers added that opportunities to taste products before buying are limited in local grocery contexts, which can make it harder to justify purchases of items that may not meet expectations. The festival’s emphasis on sampling is intended to reduce that uncertainty for shoppers looking for new favourites.

Tickets and additional details are available through CheeseAndMeatFestival.com. For North Shore residents, the Sept. 26 event at The Pipe Shop offers a one-day option to explore a wide range of producers and compare items through direct tasting during a dedicated market-style gathering.