California has emerged as one of the country’s leading cheese-producing regions and today provides some of the country’s finest cheeses. California leads the nation in milk production, and the state’s more than 50 cheesemakers have used this abundance of fresh milk to develop 250 varieties and styles of cheese. Nearly half of the state’s cheesemakers are specialty producers who create fine handcrafted cheeses, many of which have won awards at prestigious cheese competitions in the U.S. and abroad.

This information has been developed specifically to meet the needs of the professional chef and the specialty cheese retailer.