Good cheese is hard to come by in La Paz. You can buy ‘Cheddar’ and ‘Gouda’ but you’ll be disappointed at the plastic consistency. You can fry tasty queso criollo (like halloumi), but it doesn’t melt which makes a lot of cheese recipes impossible.
But, if you’re willing to pay for it, there is Flor de Leche. Run by a Belgian, located in Achocalla (just outside of La Paz), and producing organic, European-style cheeses and dairy products, Flor de Leche is sold in all the supermarkets here. And, you can visit their factory in Achocalla. Even better, they have a restaurant there which serves fondue and raclette.
Hell, I didn’t even know what raclette was until I saw the table next to me. But that saturday lunchtime, sitting on a lawn eating a big pot of melted cheese, I could be forgiven for forgetting I was in the middle of the altiplano. Except that the fondue came with little potatoes as well as bread and salad. Unlimited potatoes, bread and salad. It was good. Really good. The perfect way to get a cheese fix in La Paz.
After stuffing ourselves on fondue (which was meant for two but easily fed the three of us), we asked our waiter if we could see where they made the cheese. Although no one was working in the factory at the weekend, he got the keys and opened up the processing areas to show us. It was pretty cool seeing lots of cheeses floating in the dark.
Flor de Leche
Contact: (591-2) 2890011 it’s necessary to make reservations
Open: Saturday and Sunday
Cost: Fondue / Raclette 150Bs, Pizza 75Bs
Directions: No.4 Calle 4 de Abril. From La Paz or Zona Sur, take a bus to Mallasilla, get off at the roundabout and change buses to Achocalla (it might be the same bus you’re on, so ask the driver). You can also get a bus direct from El Alto. Stay on the bus as it goes past the lake in Achocalla and look out for a small wooden sign on the left. Flor de Leche is a few minutes down the alley.
Strolling South America 
The Great Cheese Hunt also exists in Seoul, but it’s getting easier and easier, thank god! 😉
Ha ha! I remember going to fancy department stores to buy overpriced cheese – but at least my salary meant I could afford it then.
Every time we came to La Paz we’d stock up on Flor de Leche cheese to take back to Sucre. For some reason I was never able to find it there. After eating rubber cheese for so long it was lovely – already planning a visit to the factory.
I suppose the production is on such a small-scale that it doesn’t get much further than La Paz. In fact the word ‘factory’ might be a bit misleading, as it’s not much bigger than a cottage industry! But the cheese makes it worth a visit anyhow.
I know, we’ll be back in Bolivia in a week or two and will be hunting down their boursin – delicious.
We just discovered Flor de Leche at the food festival in La Paz, Tambo. We were wondering how to get there-thanks for some great information! We’ll be going back in a week.
Make sure you call ahead – I was told they are by reservation only. It wouldn’t hurt to tell them if you want to visit the cheese-making facilities too. Enjoy!
great advice-will do! And our blog is not deleted! It’s http://www.infusedexposures.com. Not sure why it said we didn’t exist!
Oh, great! The link on your comment leads to parboiled.wordpress.com – maybe need to change that.