Artisanal
Cheese made by hand in small batches, usually from milk bought from nearby farms.
Also: artisan cheese, fromage artisanal
Artisanal describes the way a cheese is made rather than where the milk comes from. In France the word has a precise meaning: an artisan cheesemaker buys milk from local farms and makes it into cheese in small batches, largely by hand, as distinct from a fermier who uses milk from their own animals and a laitier, or industrial dairy. Elsewhere it is looser and generally means small scale, hand methods and close attention to the milk, without a legal definition. Artisanal makers often keep older practices such as open vats, cloth binding, natural rinds or raw milk. The word on a label is a description, not a protected term, so the maker's name and method say more.