Cheese It Up for National Cheese Lovers Day!

Celebrating National Cheese Lovers Day

Cheese is comforting, nourishing, and surprisingly versatile. From cheese puffs to cheesecake to mac-and-cheese, cheese is the not-so-secret ingredient that just makes everything better. While all it takes to make cheese is some milk, a little salt, and a coagulant such as an enzyme or acid, it seems every region has found a way to make its own unique cheese. 

For cheese lovers like us, that’s great news! It means we get to dive deep into cheese to understand authentic formulas and processes that let us make classic cheeses like cheddar and Colby, as well as artisan varieties like gouda and asadero for our customers. Like all cheese lovers, we also love to try new things like blending cheeses together and adding new flavors.

Explore our wide range of Cheese Ingredients.

This National Cheese Lovers Day, let’s celebrate the food science miracle we call cheese by buying a new type of cheese, preparing a new cheesy recipe, or by going out for a favorite cheesy meal with friends or family. Check out these trends in cheese for some inspiration.

Cheese Trends for Inspiration

1. Regional Cheeses

It’s no surprise that US consumers are familiar with a number of global cheeses, often first learning about new cheeses at restaurants. Now, there’s an emerging interest in learning about regional cheeses. For example, Savory Cheddar (an East Coast Style) has more bite and sulfur taste than the sweeter Classic Aged Cheddar from the west, while Coastal Cheddar has a more umami taste with a caramel note.

2. Flavored Cheeses

Another trend in cheese is new flavored cheeses. Examples include new hot pepper infusions like ghost pepper and buffalo seasoning, as well as sweet and smoky cheeses. We’re also seeing cheeses with new inclusions such as blueberries and truffles. Younger consumers, in particular, are interested in bolder and more diverse cheese flavors.¹

3. Snacking Cheeses

If you’re more in a snacking mood on National Cheese Lovers Day, no worries. Nutritious crunchy cheese snacks are among the biggest recent innovations in cheese snacking. Cheese lovers can now choose from 100% cheese crisps, bites, and bars to high-protein cheese puffs, in an assortment of flavors. 

Download our Cheese Snacking Trends Guide

4. Cheese Pairings

We can also look to the restaurant industry to see popular new pairings for cheese. While menu items such as cheeseburgers, pizza, and quesadillas are the big sellers for dishes containing cheese, the items showing the fastest proliferation in recent years are avocado toast, plant-based burgers, pretzel bites, charcuterie, tater tots, and loaded fries.²

5. Plant-Based Cheeses

If you want to celebrate this fun food holiday but needs a vegan option, plant-based cheese can do the trick. Major cheese brands Babybel and Philadelphia have started offering plant-based versions of their famous products, while some vegan cheese companies are expanding beyond cheddar and mozzarella into artisan offerings—like Miyoko’s Creamery Aged English Smoked Farmhouse Artisan Vegan Cheese and Spero the Goat Alternative Goat Cheese. 

Enjoy Cheese Any Way You Please

Mark January 20th on your calendar to enjoy National Cheese Lovers Day in your favorite way. At Glanbia Nutritionals, you could say we celebrate cheese every day. As your trusted cheese ingredient partner, we are always busy producing and innovating to help you create something your consumers will love.

We have all the cheeses you need—from classic and artisan cheeses to health and wellness cheeses with protein, vitamin D, or probiotics. To learn how we can help with your next product, contact us today.

References

1. Mintel, US Cheese Report, October 2019.
2. Datassential, Cheese, March 2021.