Specialty cheese sales are on the rise, noted Rachel Kerr, director of events and public relations for Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), Madison. Wisconsin crafts nearly half, 47%, of the nation’s total specialty cheese. According to WMMB’s custom IRI database, the specialty cheese category grew by 6.3% in volume sales over the past year, versus 2.6% for the cheese category overall.
Kerr identified three key trends in specialty cheese: collaborative projects, flavored cheeses and organic products.