Cougar Gold is an American

Cheddar cheese Cheddar cheese (or simply cheddar) is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colourings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting. It originates from the English village of Cheddar, Somerset, Cheddar in ...

produced at Ferdinand's Creamery on the

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

campus in

Pullman, Washington Pullman is the most populous city in Whitman County, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. The population was 32,901 at the 2020 census, and estimated to be 32,508 in 2022. Originally founded as ...

. Like other cheeses sold at the creamery, Cougar Gold is notable for being sold exclusively in

tin can A steel can, tin can, tin (especially in British English, Australian English, Canadian English and South African English), or can is a container made of thin metal, for distribution or storage of goods. Some cans are opened by removing the to ...

s. Cougar Gold is a white, sharp cheddar that is aged at least one year. It has a nutty flavor somewhat resembling

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

or Gouda. When properly refrigerated, Cougar Gold is claimed to last indefinitely in the can. An unopened can becomes more flavorful, sharp, dry and crumbly with age. Approximately 250,000 cans of Cougar Cheese are produced annually, with around 80% of it being Cougar Gold. The WSU Creamery produces eight different flavors of cheese as well as many ice cream flavors. Washington State University students are employed to produce the cheese and ice cream and to sell products in Ferdinand's Ice Cream Shoppe as well as in the Creamery's Direct Marketing Department that ships cheese nationwide. WSU started making cheese in cans in the 1940s when the US government and

American Can Company The American Can Company was a manufacturer of tin cans. It was a member of the Tin Can Trust, that controlled a "large percentage of business in the United States in tin cans, containers, and packages of tin." American Can Company ranked 97th amo ...

funded WSU's research to find a way to successfully keep the cheese in tins. Cougar Gold was developed during this time and was named after Norman S. Golding, one of the men involved in its production. In 1993, the American Cheese Society awarded Cougar Gold with a blue ribbon, and in 1995, the cheese earned the United States Cheese Champion silver medal. Cougar Gold later received a silver medal at the 2000 World Cheese Awards and a gold medal at the 2006 World Cheese Awards.

References

External links

Washington State University Creamery
American cheeses Washington State University Dairy products companies of the United States {{cheese-stub