The American palate for cheese is changing. Consumers are leaving the sanctuary of traditional cheese varieties, such as mild Cheddar and Swiss, to indulge in more artisan, farmstead, ethnic and organic type cheeses.
As evidence, in Wisconsin, specialty cheese production rose by 9% in 2004 to 331 million lbs. In addition, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade reports that nationwide sales of specialty cheese were up 29.1% in 2004 from 2002, to $905 million, excluding sales at Wal-Mart.