Celebrate Oregon Cheeses and Cheesemakers during American Cheese Month

Posted on 05/04/2023 by ODNC

All across our country, cheesemakers are creating incredible cheeses, making America one of the most exciting producers of cheese in the world! Oregon is a standout when it comes to the variety and quality of cheeses being produced in our state – find out why.

Oregon Cheeses are award-winning

It’s no wonder that Oregonians have high standards when it comes their cheese. Cheesemakers in our state take home honors each year at the Good Food Awards, American Cheese Society, International Cheese & Dairy Awards, and more!

We even have a “Blue Cheese Day” to celebrate the first American cheese to win Grand Champion at the World Cheese Awards: Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue Cheese.

Oregon Cheese is made with high-quality milk

With cheese, they say you can taste the terrior, or “sense of place,” with every bite. We are proud of our sense of place in Oregon; cows are well-cared for and make some of the highest-quality milk in the US. Most creameries make their cheeses with milk from local dairies, adding to the exceptional taste of the final product.

Oregon Cheesemakers are innovators

In Oregon, being a great cheesemaker doesn’t stop with great cheese. Our cheesemakers are always innovating ways to make their products more sustainable.

At Rogue Creamery, a US Sustainability Award Winner and BCorp, the creamery and milking stations at the dairy are powered by solar panel arrays which produce between 20 – 30% of the creamery’s total energy needs.

Tillamook has a Climate Action Plan that outlines how they’re working to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 with changes to their packaging, fleet, facilities and farms. They’re also a US Sustainability Award winner and BCorp.

At TMK Creamery, whey from the cheesemaking process is turned into another product – Cowcohol, a top-shelf vodka. Any waste from the distilling process is filtered into water and feed for the cows, creating an experience where any waste from the production of their cheese is repurposed.