A Global Cheese Tour for National Cheese Day

A Global Cheese Tour for National Cheese Day

National Cheese Day is the perfect excuse to take your tastebuds on a little world tour. From Dutch dairy cooperatives and French cheese innovation to iconic American creamery traditions, these cheeses each bring a story that’s just as rich as the flavors themselves. Because great cheese isn’t just about where it’s made—it’s about the people, history, and craftsmanship behind every wheel, wedge, and creamy bite.

Netherlands – FrieslandCampina

FrieslandCampina’s story began in 1871, during a time when thousands of Dutch farmers worked independently under difficult conditions. Many farming families struggled with low incomes and poverty, while women carried much of the daily burden on the farms. Seeking a better future, twenty farmers in North Holland’s Hollandsche Wieringerwaard came together in 1872 to form one of the first formal dairy cooperatives. By pooling their resources to purchase a building, two cheese vats, and hire a cheesemaker, they laid the foundation for a movement that would soon spread across North Holland, Friesland, and eventually throughout the Netherlands.

Through cooperation, farmers gained greater control over their milk production, strengthened their businesses, and improved their livelihoods. Shared investments in factories, equipment, and expertise transformed cheese-making and encouraged innovation. What started as a small cooperative grew into one of the world’s leading dairy industries.

France – Fromagerie Guilloteau

In the vibrant 1980s, nestled within the picturesque village of Pélussin in France’s renowned Rhône-Alpes region, cheese visionary Jean Claude Guilloteau and his wife embarked on an audacious journey to redefine the art of cheese-making. Surrounded by a landscape celebrated for its mountain ranges, celebrated wines, and world-class gastronomy, Guilloteau found the perfect setting for culinary innovation in a village once known for its silk mills and apple orchards.

Drawing on his expertise in yogurt production, Guilloteau pioneered the application of ultrafiltration in cheese-making – a groundbreaking technique that transformed traditional methods and ushered in a new era of cheese craftsmanship. From this spirit of innovation emerged the now illustrious Fromager d’Affinois!

United States – Tillamook

The Tillamook County Creamery Association was founded in 1909 as a farmed-owned cooperative in Oregon, when several small creameries joined forces to ensure every cheese produced in the Tillamook Valley met the highest standards. Building on a regional dairy tradition that began in the mid-1800s, these farmers shared resources, expertise, and a commitment to quality to strengthen both their product and their livelihoods. Early producers relied on the Morning Star ship to transport goods along the coastline – an enduring symbol now reflected in the company’s logo.

Today, the Tillamook County Creamery Association remains a farmed-owned co-op, with a group of farming families in Tillamook County on the coast of Oregon, who own the company and benefit directly from its growth and success. Its headquarters, ownership, and heritage remain firmly rooted in Tillamook, Oregon. As the company grows, it partners only with select milk suppliers, production facilities, and distribution centers that meet their standards.

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