The State That Produces The Most Cheese Makes More Than Many Countries

The United States makes a lot of cheese. In fact, it is the top cheese-producing country in the world, even ahead of cheese giants like France and Italy. In 2020, America made 13.2 billion pounds of cheese, followed by Germany in distant second place with 5.6 billion pounds. While many American states make cheeses, there is one specific state that makes so much of the dairy product, it would rank as the fourth largest cheese producer on the planet if it were its own country. The state is none other than where "cheeseheads" live: Wisconsin, which produces 3.51 billion pounds of cheese annually.

With over 100 cheesemakers based in the state, you can find Wisconsin-made cheese in roughly 98% of American grocery stores. The state is also  home to over a million milking cows —  to make cheese, you need milk, and Wisconsin needs a lot of it — and 90% of the milk they produce is made into some sort of cheese, but it's not all American cheeses. While varieties like brick and colby (one of the trio in classic three-cheese mac and cheese) were created in Wisconsin, the state produces over 600 different types of cheese, many of which were introduced by European immigrants. 

In the 19th century, Wisconsin became home to European immigrants from countries like Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, France, and England, who brought an enormous amount of influence to the state's cheesemaking circles. Today, Wisconsin cheesemakers produce dozens of cheeses that originated in Europe, like mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan from Italy (though it's not the real deal Parm); Gouda and Edam from the Netherlands; Camembert and Brie from France; and cheddar from England. Plenty of Mexican cheeses are also made in the state, including cotija, Oaxaca, and queso fresco. However, don't expect to find Pule cheese from Wisconsin, which is otherwise known as the most expensive cheese on earth.

Wisconsin makes over 80% of all feta cheese produced in the United States, and well over half of the Romano, Parmesan, and Provolone made in the country. Clearly, cheese is an enormous industry in the Midwestern state and a significant part of the entire nation's dairy trade. For aspiring cheesemakers, it is literally the only American state to go to in order to obtain a coveted Master Cheesemaker status, which can potentially catapult their career. Applicants must have 10 years of experience in the cheese industry just to be considered into the program. Once accepted, they go through a rigorous three-year education curriculum where they then focus on making specific types of cheeses, which of course results in even more cheese coming out of Wisconsin.