American Cheese Month
Get ready to taste some of the most amazing styles of cheeses from makers all across the country who are ready to showcase their amazing products. Cheese lovers can enjoy thirty-one whole days of celebrating this special occasion because it’s time for American Cheese Month!
Celebrate American Cheese Month by positioning artisanal and domestic cheese makers as premium offerings, driving foot traffic, tastings, and direct sales through experiential events and educational content.
- Host a wine & cheese pairing tasting event featuring regional American cheesemakers
- Create a 'Cheese Board Master Class' series teaching customers how to curate and pair American cheeses
- Launch a 'Cheese Road Trip' campaign promoting visits to top cheesemaking regions like Wisconsin and California
- Feature limited-edition American cheese products with special May pricing and exclusive bundles
Campaign ideas7
- Host American Cheese Tasting Events: Partner with local retailers (Whole Foods, specialty grocers) to run in-store tastings featuring regional American cheeses from Wisconsin, Vermont, Oregon, and California. Train brand ambassadors to educate consumers on terroir and production methods. Offer samples paired with complementary foods (crackers, fruits, wines).
- Launch a 'Cheese Board Month' Challenge on Instagram/TikTok: Encourage UGC with branded hashtag #AmericanCheeseMonth. Ask followers to share photo/video of their American cheese boards. Repost best entries, run weekly prizes (gift cards, cheese subscription boxes). Partner with food influencers to seed content.
- Create a Cheese & Pairing Digital Guide: Develop downloadable PDF or interactive tool pairing American cheeses with specific meal occasions (weeknight dinner, entertaining, picnics). Include recipes, wine pairings, serving tips. Distribute via email, social, retail partners. Gate content to build email list.
- Run Limited-Time American Cheese Bundles & Promotions: Bundle American cheeses with complementary products (crackers, charcuterie items, wine). Offer May-only pricing incentives, exclusive flavors, or limited-edition sets. Use scarcity messaging to drive urgency and trial.
- Partner with Recipe & Food Platforms: Feature American cheese prominently on Allrecipes, Food Network, and TikTok with curated recipes (Mac & Cheese, Grilled Cheese, Cheese Dips, Charcuterie Boards). Create 60-second video how-tos. Cross-promote with cheese brands for affiliate/co-marketing deals.
- Activate Retail Point-of-Sale & In-Store Displays: Design eye-catching shelf talkers, branded cheese paper, and display signage highlighting American makers and origin stories. Run 'Cheese of the Week' features with detailed flavor cards. Offer shopper sampling and guided recommendations from cheesemongers.
- Sponsorship & Community Tie-In: Partner with state dairy organizations (Wisconsin Cheese, Oregon Cheese, California Cheese) to sponsor local farm-to-table dinners, farmers markets, and cheese competitions during May. Display branding, distribute samples, collect consumer feedback.
Social angles6
- "May is American Cheese Month—celebrate the craft! From Wisconsin cheddar to Vermont artisan, discover what makes homegrown cheese world-class. Tag your favorite American maker below 🧀 #AmericanCheeseMonth #SupportAmerican"
- "Tired of boring cheddar? Our American cheesemakers are crafting bold flavors, funky textures & heritage traditions. Explore the hidden gems in your grocery store 👀 #AmericanCheeseMonth #ArtisanCheese"
- "Build the ultimate American cheese board: cheddar for bold flavor, goat cheese for tang, blue for funk. Which American cheese is your board missing? Show us your creation! #CheeseBoard #AmericanCheeseMonth"
- "Fun fact: the U.S. produces 14+ billion pounds of cheese annually. This May, taste the story behind American dairy excellence 🐄🧀 #CheeseMonth #SupportLocal #AmericanCheese"
- "Grilled cheese season just got elevated. Trade basic for our American artisan cheddar—it melts like a dream, tastes like quality. What's on yours? #AmericanCheeseMonth #GrilledCheese #Foodie"
- "Your May cheese challenge: try one new American cheese every week. Wisconsin? Vermont? California? The craft is closer than you think. Who's in? 🧀 #AmericanCheeseMonth #CheeseAdventure"
Ad copy starters5
“"Discover Real American Cheese. Crafted by family farms. Honored by our palates. May is American Cheese Month."”
“"Wisconsin. Vermont. Oregon. California. One month to taste the American cheese revolution. Limited May flavors in-store now."”
“"Forget what you thought you knew about American cheese. Artisan cheesemakers are redefining bold. Celebrate May, celebrate craft."”
“"From Alpine peaks to prairie grass: American terroir tastes incredible. One month. Infinite flavors. American Cheese Month."”
“"Bold. Fresh. Funky. Buttery. American cheese is having a moment. Make yours May."”
Tips4
- Highlight American terroir & artisan makers, not mass production: Consumers in 2026 care about provenance and craft. Lead with origin stories, sustainable practices, and small-batch production—not commodity cheese. Feature regional pride (Wisconsin, Vermont, Oregon, California) prominently.
- Lean into visual, sensory content: Cheese is inherently beautiful—showcase close-ups of texture, color, marbling, and pairing combos. Video of cheese melting, boards being built, or curd stretching performs exceptionally well on social. TikTok & Instagram Reels are prime channels.
- Partner authentically with retailers & influencers: Don't just send product—co-create content with partners (cheesemongers, recipe creators, local chefs). Whole Foods' seasonal promotions and American Cheese Society partnerships lend credibility. Micro-influencers in food/lifestyle often outperform celebrity endorsements.
- Don't fight the specialty vs. mass-market divide: Some consumers chase artisan blue cheese; others want premium cheddar for burgers. Message differently for each—premiumization/experience for foodie audiences, convenience/quality for mainstream. Both are valid May audiences.
The background of American Cheese Month can be traced back to its first celebration, which was started by the American Cheese Society and took place in October 2011.
The event was celebrated annually in October for several years and then, in 2019, it was moved to May to provide better support for the producers of cheese.
American Cheese Month is a time to promote, recognize, and improve public awareness about the wide range of high-quality offerings within American cheeses.
The invitation is for farmers, retailers, and chefs, along with cheesemakers and cheesemongers, to make a big deal out of and take pride in the products they offer all under the diverse umbrella of American cheese.
Since its inception, several different groups have gotten on board in support of this month-long event, including the American Cheese Education Foundation, as well as various businesses that work with cheese such as makers and merchants.
Attend American Cheese Month Events
Get involved in all sorts of cheesy ways this month by attending events put on by American cheese makers. Cheese tastings (perhaps paired with wine), cheese-making demonstrations, educational opportunities, and special pricing are all part of the different ways that American Cheese Month might be promoted in the cheese-making community. So hop on board and make plans to attend a myriad of events in the local area.
Learn From a Cheese Expert
There is certainly always more to learn when it comes to cheese! In honor of American Cheese Month, it might be exciting to take a course on how to create a perfect cheese board, which cheeses to pair with certain wines, or how to use American cheese in baking.
Plan an American Cheese Month Trip
American Cheese Month can include all sorts of creative ways to celebrate! Perhaps ake a vacation out of it and take a trip to visit a cheese maker, perhaps considering Wisconsin or California which are the largest cheesemaking states in the US.
Host an American Cheese Month Gathering
Get like-minded friends together and host an event that includes all sorts of cheese-focused appetizers, entrees, sides, and even desserts. American Cheese Month is an excellent time to feature cheese from influential, artisanal cheesemakers from across the country. Because cheese is such an incredible specimen of food, all sorts of days exist in celebration of it – basically throughout the year! Check out some of the cheese-related Days of the Year and get ready to celebrate, including Swiss Cheese Day on January 2, National Cheese Day on June 4, and National Italian Cheese Month in September.