Wisconsin’s 10 Most Popular Cheeses

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Happy Friday!

Tomorrow is National Cheese Lovers’ Day, so in today’s UpNorthNewsletter…

Dairyland’s Favorite: Wisconsin’s 10 most popular, most-produced cheeses.
Secret’s Out: Where to buy the state’s best cheese for a fraction of the price.
Fair Maps, Finally: How Wisconsin’s latest map proposals would dilute the Republican majority.

Christina Lorey,

Community Editor, UpNorthNews

Wisconsin’s top 10 cheeses

FACT: If the state of Wisconsin were a country, it would rank fourth in the world in total cheese production at 2.86 billion lbs./year, behind the entire US, Germany, and France, and just ahead of Italy.

While there are 19 cheese-based “holidays” each year (ever heard of National Cheese Doodle Day on March 5th?), National Cheese Lovers’ Day is the biggest and most representative of Wisconsin culture–where there’s one cow for every five people!

To celebrate, we’re counting down the Top 10 most popular, most-produced types of cheese in Wisconsin, according to data from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board:

10. Gouda (.4% of all Wisconsin cheese)

Originally sold in the Dutch market town of Gouda, this creamy, almost chocolate-like cheese was brought to Wisconsin by immigrants.

9. Gorgonzola (.6%)

Yes, the blue stuff is mold (penicillium roqueforti, to be precise), but it gives the creamy, crumbly cheese its flavor.

8. Swiss (.8%)

Although Swiss originated in Switzerland (go figure), Wisconsin producers modernized its process–wrapping the cheese in plastic to keep in the moisture–no hard, inedible rind required!

THE REST: Wisconsin’s Top 7 Cheeses

Credit: Wisconsin Cheese Masters

AROUND THE STATE IN 60 🔄

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? – This Saturday, the Packers and 49ers will clash for the 10th time in the postseason at Levi’s Stadium, setting an NFL record. Right now, the Packers are tied with the Patriots for most postseason wins. Both have 37, while the 49ers follow closely behind with 36. Click here for the latest odds, line, and viewing information.

AMERICA LOVES LOVE – Last weekend, the whole country got in on our little secret: Jordan Love is an excellent QB. And Green Bay’s starter was given the FOX Sports treatment in a special feature all about him called, “The Jordan Love Era Starts Now.” You can watch the clip here.

PICK A SIDE – CNN anchor Anderson Cooper unknowingly got a taste of the Packers-Bears rivalry after Chicagoans spotted him wearing a green and gold hat around their city. And let’s just say they weren’t too happy. Click here to read his funny recounting of the story.

BADGER PRIDE – Wisconsin fans certainly have a lot to cheer about across the board, as the Badger men’s basketball team shot up in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings this week. Click here for the latest standings.

Secret’s Out! Where to find discount cheese in Wisconsin

Living in America’s Dairyland doesn’t just give you access to the freshest curds, but some of the most affordable, too. While many tourists head to Wisconsin’s cheese factory for tours, in-the-know locals stop by for deals. These six small (and family-owned) cheese shops have showcased our state’s prime product for more than 100 years, each.

TIP: While you’re there, you might as well take a tour. Samples are included!

6 Historic Wisconsin Cheese Shops You Can’t Miss

From cheese hats to “cheese orphans” to gourmet gas station cheddar (yes, you read that correctly), we’re spoiled with an abundance of world-class cheese here in Wisconsin, where the sound of squeaky cheese curds just feels like home.

But you can’t call yourself a true cheesehead until you’ve crossed these nine experiences off your bucket list.

LIST: 9 Wisconsin Cheese Experiences You Need to Try

Credit: The Cheese Professor, Fromagination

The latest on Wisconsin’s new voting maps

News and commentary from

Founding Editor Pat Kreitlow

Wisconsin is one step closer to restoring competitive balance to its Assembly and Senate races after seven groups submitted proposals to help the state Supreme Court implement its order to replace the current gerrymandered maps.

“These seven maps do a good job of showing the different perspectives that different parties may have,” Prof. Sam Wang of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project told UpNorthNews Radio. “And they show that it’s possible to make a tradeoff that satisfies all the court’s requirements.”

The court asked the parties to create new proposed maps that were more contiguous—unlike the current maps with a high number of disconnected pieces of land—and less likely to skew heavily in favor of one party or the other in a typical election, based on historical data.

Outside analysis of the seven proposals shows the submission by legislative Republicans was least likely to abide by the court’s requirements. The GOP map would require Democrats to win 57% of the statewide vote to have a chance of getting 50% of the seats in the Assembly, according to Wang, while Republicans would only need 43% of the statewide vote to get a legislative majority.

Two consultants hired by the justices will now study the seven remedial maps and provide a recommendation by Feb. 1.

MORE: Most map proposals would dilute Wisconsin’s GOP majority

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Christina Lorey. UpNorthNews is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.