The 25 Biggest Cheese Exporting Countries in the World, 2018 (Infographic)

In October 2019, for the first time ever, American cheese won the top World Cheese Award, beating out more than 3,800 cheeses from 42 countries. The victor of the “Oscars of the cheese world” was Orgeon’s Rogue Creamery, honored for its organic Rogue River Blue.

The U.S. is just one of many top cheese-producing nations, though, with producers around the globe competing for sales of their blues, cheddars, and goats. Whether you’re a classic cheddar fan or a seeker of the latest Norwegian gjetost, chances are you’ve eaten cheese from one of these nations.

VinePair used statistics from the American Association of Wine Economists, via UN Comtrade, to illustrate the top exporters of cheese in the world by value in 2018. Surprisingly, neither France nor Italy take the top spot. Read on to see which countries make the most dough for their dairy.