In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, on April 12, (National Grilled Cheese Day) Tillamook celebrated by having a golden ticket surprise at selected grocery stores in Los Angeles, CA, and Dallas, TX. Now how cheestastic is that?! Every hour Golden Tickets were hidden next to items that matched the theme of a grilled cheese sandwich. Lucky participants who found the ticket redeemed their Golden Ticket at the Loaf Love Tour kiosk to claim their prize. Each winner received a coupon for a free 2 lb baby loaf of their choice! To make the event extra special, their ticket was put into a drawing with the rest of the other tickets TO WIN A YEAR’S WORTH OF TILAMOOK CHEESE! YUM! Below are some fun photos from our Golden Ticket Giveaway.

Don’t forget the bread! A must have to make a tasty grilled cheese!

Can you think of all the places a Golden Ticket could have been hiding?

Here are some cheesy hints!

One of our first winners comes to the kiosk to get his free coupon for a 2lb Baby Loaf!

Participants had a lot of fun going through the aisles trying to find one of our Golden Tickets. After speaking with many, almost everyone decided to have grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner that night! There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being able to bring a Baby Loaf of cheese to one of our Tillafans.

You can join in on all of our fun by visiting us on Loaf Love Tour. Check the schedule – we may be coming to your city! Check out my cheesy adventures by following me on twitter @peppercornypaku. See you soon!

-Pakou

By Tillamook

Celebrate our 104^th birthday with us by munching on Squeaky Cheese Curds fresh from the Tillamook Cheese Factory. For today only, we’re opening the vats and releasing Squeaky Cheese Curds on the Online Shop. Supplies are limited, so get ‘em while they squeak! Funds raised will benefit the Oregon Food Bank to support hunger relief.

Order your tasty curds here!

By Callie

Over the years, we’ve heard countless stories of curd-lovers driving for hours to the Tillamook Cheese Factory just to get their Squeaky Cheese Curds. Because of the short shelf life and to maintain the freshness and quality of Tillamook Cheese Curds, they are normally sold exclusively at the Cheese Factory in Tillamook, Oregon… but if you’re a curd-lover, we’ve got great news!

In honor of our 104^th birthday, we’re releasing the curds on February 13 for one day only! There will be a limited supply of Squeaky Cheese Curds for sale on our Online Shop! Squeaky Cheese Curd Day will benefit the Oregon Food Bank in supporting hunger relief. Click here to learn more!

This is so exciting! But why can’t Tillamook ship cheese curds every day?
Squeaky Cheese Curds are extremely perishable, and start to lose their “squeak” after just a few days. Because of this, cheese curds require overnight shipping very quickly after they are made, which we cannot facilitate on a daily basis. To make sure curd-lovers around the country are able to get fresh curds to celebrate Squeaky Cheese Day, the Tillamook marketing team will actually be taking several days away from their regular jobs to personally hand-pack and ship your order from the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We wish we could spread cheese curd joy all the time, but for now, you can satisfy year-long cravings for cheese curds by visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, OR.

What is a cheese curd?
Cheese curds are created at the very beginning of the cheddaring process, when small pieces of cheddar cheese separate from the liquid whey naturally found in milk. These “curds” are usually then pressed together to form 40 lbs. blocks of our cheddars that will go on to naturally age for up to three years. However, we do save a small amount of the fresh curds to be sold at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. They taste mild and salty, and when they’re really fresh they make a slight “squeak” noise when you eat them! Try them for yourself on Squeaky Cheese Day!

What makes a cheese curd “squeaky”?
The squeak you might hear when you munch on cheese curds comes from the protein composition of fresh curds. When the protein in the cheese rubs against the enamel of your teeth it makes a “squeaky” sound. As cheddar ages, more moisture is released in the form of whey, and the protein in the cheese consolidates. Here at Tillamook, this consolidation is how cheese curds turn into Baby Loafs! That’s why our other cheddars (and curds older than a few days) don’t squeak! The cheese is still delicious to eat after it has stopped squeaking, but the squeak effect will be gone forever for that little curd.

Find out how you can get your squeaky cheese fix!

Get cooking with our Top 5 Cheese Curd recipes here!

P.S. You can follow the conversation about Squeaky Cheese Day with #ReleaseTheCurds on Twitter!

By Tillamook

We’re happy to welcome a brand new cheddar to the Tillamook Family – Vintage White Sharp Cheddar! This cheddar is rich, full flavored, and naturally aged for 9 months to give you just the slightest bite. Give it a try at your next wine and cheese party, or in your next batch of mac and cheese!

Look for our new Vintage White Sharp Cheddar in stores soon, but buy it online now in the Tillamook Shop! In honor of Cheese Lover’s Day, enter to win a Big Cheese Gift Box by emailing fans@tillamook.com to tell us the first dish you’ll cook with this new cheese! Hurry and enter before January 31.*

*Official Rules

Email us at fans@tillamook.com to tell us the first dish you’ll make with this cheese!

By Katie

It’s true what they say… sometimes wishes do come true! From December 3-16, Tillamook will randomly fulfill one wishlist a day. Just stop over at the Tillamook Shop, make a wishlist, and you’re automatically entered to win! Click here to learn more, and start making your wishlists!

By Katie