American Cheese Society Resources

The American Cheese Society is dedicated to providing its members, industry professionals, and cheese enthusiasts with educational resources. Whether you are seeking information about best practices in cheesemaking, hoping to get a better understanding of the terms used in the cheesemaking industry, or seeking information about food safety, our collection of resources is designed to help support you and your business. Many of our resources are available to everyone. However, there are some resources that require an active ACS membership for access. We hope you will take time to explore our resources and learn more about becoming a member to access exclusive members-only content.

ACS LEARNING CENTER & ACEF WEBINAR ARCHIVE

The ACS Learning Center & ACEF Webinar Archive houses the American Cheese Society’s ongoing webinar series, informational sessions, and additional resources for members to watch and review on demand.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Learn about ACS educational programming and other educational opportunities, including classes on cheese pairings, industry festivals, and cheesemaking. Hosting a class or festival? Post on the Industry Event Calendar

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Want to become a cheesemonger? Looking for a cheesemaker job? Recently earned an ACS Certification and looking for a new industry gig? Check out the ACS Career Center. Employers: if you have a current ACS Organizational Membership, you can post jobs, apprenticeships, and internships here.

DIRECTORIES

Find educators, certified industry professionals, and expand your connections by searching the ACS Membership Directory.

CLASSIFIEDS

Looking to buy or sell cheesemaking equipment? Hoping to purchase a farm? Check out the latest ACS Classifieds listings. Classifieds are publicly viewable, but posting Classifieds listings is limited to ACS members only.

Cheese Definitions

There are multiple ways to describe, organize, and classify cheese including texture, milk type, and place of origin. Regardless of the classification system, many varieties of cheese cross over from one category to another. Check out our Cheese Definitions to learn more about the different ways by which cheese is defined and classified.

ACS Lexicon & Glossary

Assessing, grading, judging, evaluating, marketing, and socializing with cheese, and the varying contexts in which these activities happen, require different types of terminology. The ACS Cheese and Dairy Product Lexicon and Glossary allows cheese industry members to communicate more readily and clearly about cheese and dairy products, helping to facilitate conversations across the supply chain of cheese. Learn more about the ACS Lexicon & Glossary.

Best Practices Guide for Cheesemakers

This Guide provides an easy reference for busy cheesemakers—especially small- to mid-size producers—and encompasses currently accepted best practices for cheesemaking. The second edition of the Guide, published in February 2017, includes updates based on changing regulations, incorporates direct feedback and clarification from reviewers at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, and provides more current resources and templates where available. Get a free digital copy of the guide here.

The Safe Cheesemaking Hub

The Safe Cheesemaking Hub is a searchable compendium of vetted food safety resources for cheesemakers. The website serves as a “one-stop shop” for the resources, research, training, and tools artisan cheesemakers need to enhance their food safety practices. The site also features a “Retailers Toolkit” designed to provide food safety resources for cheese and specialty food retailers.

The Safe Cheesemaking Hub is also home to many online education resources including the New Online Course: Food Safety Basics for Artisan Cheesemakers. Visit The Safe Cheesemaking Hub to access this training and other important resources.

Map of Dairy Food Safety Resources in the USA

Sometimes you just need to find the right person to help you. Whether just starting out, expanding production, or refining established programs, this new interactive map of dairy food safety resources, organised by state, can be used to help producers find people and organizations who can assist with food safety advice on all types of dairy products.

The Map was developed to help cheesemakers find dairy food safety and innovation expertise locally, regionally, and nationally, and is one of the resources produced through an on-going partnership between the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the American Cheese Society, the International Dairy Foods Association, and food safety experts from universities across the country.

Body of Knowledge

The ACS Body of Knowledge is a comprehensive framework that aims to encompass the interdisciplinary domains of information that comprise the knowledge base of the cheese industry. The ACS Body of Knowledge was first compiled in 2010, modified in 2012, and revised in 2017 to reflect the dynamic nature of the growing cheese industry. Read ACS’s Body of Knowledge framework here.

American Cheese Education Foundation Webinar Archive

The American Cheese Education Foundation (ACEF) Webinar Archive houses the recordings of ACS Webinars going back to 2013. Access to the ACEF Webinar Archive is available to current ACS members only. Learn more about ACS Webinar Programming here, and find upcoming webinars here. Interested in presenting, or have a topic you’d like to see covered? Learn more about webinar guidelines and expectations, and submit your proposal here. 

Conference Educational Sessions

View slides from conference presentations from 2013 to the present, and watch Conference session video recordings from 2015-2017. Access to Conference Educational Sessions is available for current ACS members only.

Planning Guide for Cheese Festivals: A Resource for Guilds

The ACS team compiled tips and best practices for planning a successful cheese festival into this resource. From pre-event planning to post-event logistics, this is a useful reference for planning large-scale events that serve cheese and feature cheesemakers. Get your copy of the guide here.

Advocacy & Engagement

ACS engages with regulators and other key stakeholders on a regular basis to advance issues of importance to our members. This work keeps American cheesemakers, and particularly traditional cheesemaking practices, top-of-mind for industry decision-makers. An overview of advocacy and engagement efforts can be found here.

Industry Data

The American artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheese industry has been growing for decades, with more producers venturing into cheesemaking to meet growing consumer demand for unique, local, natural cheeses made using traditional methods. Find key statistics, as well as Industry Survey data, here.