Question  Why does cheese wax come in different colors?

Jerri’s answer  A lot of people mistakenly believe that certain colors of wax are associated with specific kinds of cheese, when in fact wax color is just a matter of personal preference.

At the grocery store, you might have seen a red wax on a gouda or a black wax on a cheddar. That’s because the companies that made those cheeses chose those colors. Sometimes a company will choose one color of wax and then use that color for every type of cheese they make. It becomes part of their brand. One famous cheese company always uses purple wax.

Cheese wax comes in every color of the rainbow. We carry the most common colors, which are red, yellow, and black.

It’s important for the color to be opaque because cheese wax is intended to protect cheese from ultraviolet light. Wax also protects the surface of the cheese from drying out, and from unwanted micro-organisms, such as airborne molds and bacteria.

Protip!

Always remember to flip your waxed cheeses once a day for the first few weeks, and then once a week thereafter. Turning the cheese over prevents the liquid whey inside from pooling, thus maintaining proper cheese consistency.