PLYMOUTH — Plymouth is home to more than 250 million pounds of cheese — and the city is gearing up to celebrate that legacy later this month.
WATCH: Plymouth holds more than 250 million pounds of cheese — and a festival to celebrate it
The figure comes from the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, which says the cheese industry has deep roots in the city dating back to the 1800s. Today, major cheese companies including Sargento, Sartori, Masters Gallery and Great Lakes all operate in Plymouth.
Jeremy Schellin, a Plymouth Chamber board member, said the city's long history in the industry is what drives the massive volume of cheese stored there today.
"It's been a big cheese center since the 1800s, really. And because of that we have a great, really great heritage and a ton of great cheese companies in town," Schellin said.
"To have that many big businesses of cheese, you need a lot of cheese around to supply everything," he said.
That heritage is also the inspiration behind the city's annual Cheese Capital Festival. Rooted in the cheese derby days of the 1940s and 1950s, the event has been revived for modern times.
"This will be our fourth annual Cheese Capital Festival. It's taking place downtown Plymouth here. It'll be Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27," Schellin said.
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"We'll celebrate all things cheese. We've got parades, cheese-eating contests. We have all kinds of great food, drink, live bands and music, so a really fun time that weekend," he said.
The Dairy Heritage Center's cheese counter, which opened in 2017, serves as a hub for visitors. It offers a selection of cheeses, sandwiches, mac and cheese, merchandise and fresh cheese curds every Thursday.
Wisconsin's cheese dominance extends well beyond Plymouth. If Wisconsin were a country, it would rank as the fourth-largest cheese producer in the world — surpassing Italy.
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