Every January we hear from members asking some version of the same question: what should I actually make more of this year? It's not a question we can answer for you — your cave, your herd, and your accounts are yours to read — but the early-year trade coverage does point somewhere specific, and it's worth a look before your spring production plan is locked.
The clearest signal in recent industry reporting is demand for sheep's and goat's milk cheese, which buyers describe as running ahead of supply in several categories. The second signal, just as consistent, is that retail buyers are actively looking for products they don't already carry — categories, styles, and producers that read as new to their case, not just new to the shelf label. Global demand for cheese more broadly has kept climbing too, and recent coverage suggests overall demand is holding up better than a lot of members expected heading into the year. Even flavor trend coverage this January pointed the same direction — more unusual pairings, from fruit-forward accents to florals, showing up on cheese and other dairy products rather than the safest, most familiar combinations. Put together, those signals suggest something a little more specific: this is a year where an unfamiliar, well-made entry has a real shot at a listing that a familiar, well-made one might not.
What that does and doesn't mean for your case
It doesn't mean abandon your cow's milk cheddar program because sheep's milk is having a moment. Steady demand is not the same as unlimited shelf space, and a buyer who's excited about new entries is still going to reorder the reliable wheel that moves every month. Conditions like these reward members who can hold a strong core line steady while testing something new on the side, rather than members who chase a trend they don't have the herd, cave space, or supply relationships to support well.
What it does mean is that if you've been sitting on a small sheep's or goat's milk batch, a mixed-milk experiment, or a style your region doesn't usually see, this is a reasonable year to bring it to a buyer conversation rather than let it stay a side project. Buyers are explicitly asking for the thing they can't already get elsewhere. That's a narrower ask than "make it well," and it's worth checking whether something already sitting in your cave happens to fit it.
Reading demand numbers without overreacting to them
We'd caution against reading too much into any single report's headline figure. "Demand is climbing" and "demand is better than expected" are both encouraging, but they describe a national picture built from a lot of regional and category-level variation that won't match your own market one to one. The membership dues and production numbers that matter for your own decisions are the ones from your own books and your own buyer relationships, not a national average, however encouraging that average sounds.
If you're weighing whether an unfamiliar style is worth a production run, the Membership & Outreach Committee keeps a running list of members open to informal conversations about a given category, and it's a low-cost way to hear from someone who's already made the bet before you do. A short call with someone two seasons ahead of you on the same style is worth more than another market report.
The International Cheese Federation (ICF) and More Cheese are entirely fictional. This post is demonstration content created for MemberJunction. All people, organizations, events, courses, certifications, figures, and quotations in it are invented, and nothing here represents a real association, a real business, a real person, or real professional advice.