Body of Knowledge

The American Cheese Society 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.

Eleven Domains of Information are woven together to create the areas of knowledge that members of our industry are expected to draw upon during their career.

This outline is tied to the ACS Certified Cheese Professional® Exam, but it will also be used by ACS to:

  • Grow ACS certification programs that establish standards for cheese professionals;
  • Guide ACS educational programming, including ACS Conference programming, regional and online education, and other professional development initiatives;
  • Support content development by identifying where there are gaps in research and resources, and pointing to areas where new research and documentation can be developed.

Domain 1: Health, regulations, food safety

Domain 2: Operations
Domain 3: Cheese History, Definitions, and Categorization
Domain 4: Milk
Domain 5: Cheesemaking
Domain 6: Ripening
Domain 7: Assessment and Evaluation
Domain 8: Selling and Transporting
Domain 9: Inventory Management
Domain 10: Service
Domain 11: Business Principles and Practices

 

History of the ACS Body of Knowledge

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.

The development of the American Cheese Society’s Body of Knowledge was led by Susan Sturman, Sasha Davies, and Sarah Spira, with input from: Robert Aguilera, John Antonelli, Kendall Antonelli, Kate Arding, Ray Bair, Matt Benson, Alyce Birchenough, Zoe Brickley, Tim Bucciarelli, Kim Bukowski, Vern Caldwell, Pav Cherny, Brian Civitello, Stephanie Clark, Nancy Clark, Taylor Cocalis Suarez, Sue Conley,  Dennis D’Amico, Adeline Druart, Laure Dubouloz, Gordon Edgar, Ruth Flores-Norseland, Pat Ford, Tim Gaddis, Cathy Gaffney, Craig Gile,  Michelle Haram,  Emily Hershberger, Sara Hill, Shawn Hockert, Sarah Hoffman, Caroline Hostettler, Matt Jennings, Brenda Jensen, Jeff Jirik, Mateo Kehler, Brian Keyser, Paula Lambert, Emiliano Lee, David Leonhardi,  Laura Logos Downey, Max McCalman, Eric Meredith,  Emilio Mignucci, Gina Mode, Shelli Morton, Adam Moskowitz, Jodi Olsen Reed , Greg O’Neill, Vince Razionale,  Jonathan Richardson, Louis Risoli, Dick Roe, Rich Rogers, Matt Rubiner, Kathleen Shannon Finn, Emily Shartin, Kari Skibbie, Peggy Smith, Marianne Smukowski, Dean Sommer, Meri Spicer, Jeremy Stephenson, Cathy Strange, Daniel Utano, Tom Van Voorhees, Cheryl Wilson Sullivan, and Daphne Zepos, with guidance from Joan Knapp of Knapp International Associates, credentialing specialists.