The FINANCIAL — Revenue in the Cheese market amounts to US$32.02bn in 2024. The market is expected to grow annually by 5.01% (CAGR 2024-2028).
In global comparison, most revenue is generated in the United States (US$32,020m in 2024).
In relation to total population figures, per person revenues of US$94.58 are generated in 2024.
In the Cheese market, volume is expected to amount to 2.32bn kg by 2028. The Cheese market is expected to show a volume growth of 0.8% in 2025.
The European Union is by far the top producer of cheese worldwide. In 2023, the 27 countries that make up the European Union produced about 10.39 million metric tons of cheese.
The average volume per person in the Cheese market is expected to amount to 6.6kg in 2024.
Among the major cheese producing countries, the United States was ranked second with over six million metric tons of cheese manufactured in 2022, following the European Union with over 10 million metric tons of cheese production that year. Wisconsin was the leading cheese producing state in the U.S. with a cheese quantity that amounted to about 3.5 billion pounds in 2022. California and Idaho rounded off the top three states.
Retail sector
In the U.S. retail sector, total sales for natural cheese, cheese produced with no additives or preservatives, amounted to about 11.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. The total soft cream cheese category brought in sales amounting to about 322 million U.S. dollars in the United States for the 12 weeks ended in January 2023. Shredded cheese was the best-selling cheese form in the United States, accounting for over 5.6 billion U.S. dollars of cheese sales in 2022.
Cheese consumption
Over the past ten years, U.S. per capita consumption of cheese has increased by over five pounds. The average consumers in the U.S. ate about 40.3 pounds of cheese in 2021. That year, Americans consumed about 16.1 pounds of American cheese per capita and 15.64 pounds of Italian cheese per capita. That year the Italian cheese consumption per capita was about 15.83 pounds. The wholesale prices of cheese in the United States in 2023 amounted to 1.95 U.S. dollars per pound. This figure is expected to decrease to 1.85 U.S. dollars by 2032.
This statistic shows the U.S. production of all Italian varieties of cheese from 2004 to 2022. In 2022, approximately 5.9 billion pounds of Italian cheese were produced in the United States, a slight increase from the previous year.
The revenue in the ‘Cheese’ segment of the food market in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total 8.5 billion U.S. dollars (+27.95 percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the indicator is estimated to reach 38.94 billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the revenue of the ‘Cheese’ segment of the food market was continuously increasing over the past years.
In 2032, it was expected that the wholesale price for cheese in the U.S. will be 1.85 U.S. dollars per pound.
There is no firm evidence of how humans discovered cheese making. But legend tells us it was likely that someone created the first cheese by chance. Thousands of years ago, people transported milk and stored it in sheep’s stomachs. Left to sit a few days, the proteins would separate into curds and whey. From there, preserving the solids with salt may have seemed a logical next step. Salt was a highly valued preservative in ancient times.
The earliest record of cheese making dates back to 5,500 BCE in what is now Poland. Today there are over 1,400 varieties of cheese.
Basic Cheese Making
The basic principles behind making cheese are quite simple. Let the milk sour (or scientifically, coagulating the casein protein). Then separate the curds (solids) from the whey (liquid). The curds are then salted and left to age.
Bacteria, enzymes, or fungi may be added at various stages. These and the type of milk, temperature, time, and moisture are all controlled to produce the desired taste, color, and texture. Cheesemakers also add herbs and spices for additional variety and flavor.
The nutritional value of cheese varies depending on the variety. Cottage and mozzarella cheese are at the lower end of fat and calories per serving, while mascarpone and cream cheese pack it on. Marscapone makes desserts like tiramisu rich and creamy.
For the Love of Cheese
For cheese lovers who think one day is just not enough to celebrate cheese, National Day Calendar presents a calendar full of cheesy celebrations. There are 18 other cheese-specific holidays on the calendar. Check out this shortlist of tasty cheese-based celebrations:
- Cream Cheese Brownie Day (February 10)
- Cheese Doodle Day(March 5)
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day(April 12)
- Cheese Souffle Day(May 18)
- Cheese Day(June 4)
- Cheesecake Day (July 30 – along with three other flavors on the calendar)
- Goat Cheese Month(August)
- String Cheese Day (September 20)
- Moldy Cheese Day(October 9)
- Nachos Day (November 6)
- Sangria Day (December 20 – wine and cheese always go together)
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL CHEESE DAY
Enjoy some cheese with your lunch or as a snack. Share your favorite cheesy recipes or puns. Try a new cheese pairing. Visit your favorite cheesemonger, and be sure to give a shout-out, too. Use #CheeseLoversDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL CHEESE LOVER’S DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar continues to research the origins of this cheese-loving day.
Cheese Lover’s FAQ
Q. How much whey is produced when making cheese?
A. One pound of cheese can produce up to 96 fluid ounces of whey.
Q. Now, whey-t a minute. What happens to all that whey?
A. Whey is protein-rich. Many farms added whey to animal feed. However, whey is also used as a protein supplement in powders and nutrition bars.
Q. What is squeaky cheese?
A. Squeaky cheese is a young (it’s not aged for very long) cheddar cheese that comes in these delicious nuggets called cheese curds. When the cheese curds are genuinely fresh, they squeak a little when you bite into them.
National Day Calendar® is the original and authoritative source for fun, unusual, and unique National Days! Since our humble beginnings on National Popcorn Day
Discussion about this post