Move over Wisconsin, the Lone Star State is closing in on your cheese head status.
The Festival of Cheese not only called Austin home this year, but also produced the largest number of Texas blue ribbon winners to date.
"I think there's a passion there, there's a commitment, and in Texas people just want to be number one," festival director Cathy Strange said.
According to Strange, Texas really shines when it comes to making artisanal cheese, or cheese produced in small quantities by small dairies.
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Texas Cheese
News 8's Heidi Zhou tells us why people are stocking up on cheeses made in Texas.
 
Cheese Sale
Zhou got a preview of some of the tasty deals.
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Amelia Sweethardt owns the Pure Luck Farm and Dairy in Dripping Springs. Cheeses made there were among this year's winning entries.
"We have our own animals. We milk our goats twice a day," Sweethardt said.
Sweethardt's dairy has been fairing well despite the recession.
"I think because we're small and we're really operated hands on, we anticipate needing to adapt," she said.
Strange suspects something else is at work.
"The consumer has an appreciation for food," Strange said.
Plenty of buyers appreciated the cheese sale Sunday. Locally produced cheeses were on sale for only a third of their retail price.
"Today is a bargain day," cheese buyer Shakti Khalsa said. "Regular cheese in HEB or stores wouldn't cost five dollars a pound. But today we have like gold in the bag."
Comments like that, along with the golden medals from judges, make Texas cheese makers a new force to contend with.
Proceeds from Sunday's cheese sale went to scholarships for cheese makers, given out by the American Cheese Society.
