The Dairy Product That Was Once Sold In Wooden Boxes (And Why Vintage Collectors Love Them)

Like so many products in the grocery store, we typically find commercially made cheese wrapped in plastic, shipped there by the case in cardboard. But that wasn't how cheese was always handled. In the late 1800s, the invention of the wooden cheese box allowed for cheese to be safely shipped and handled much greater distances than it could previously, and was soon adopted by the entire industry. 

As retro as the wooden cheese box may seem, the practice is still in use with certain cheeses, especially in Europe. When the European Commission ruled to move toward making all packaging recyclable by 2030, an exception was made for several traditional products, like the surprisingly low lactose cheese Camembert de Normandie, which is still sold in round spruce boxes today. 

Back in the United States, however, between 1942 and 1945, Kraft stopped producing cheese entirely to focus on wartime rations of pre-portioned butter and canned cheese. When the company returned to fresh cheese production, it was with its now-renowned pre-packaged single cheese slices. By this time, the wooden boxes were put aside in favor of cardboard, foil, and plastic, all of which did a better job of preserving the cheese for less money.

Vintage American cheese boxes are made from maple, ash, or hickory, and typically sport logos that were applied with a stencil or hot iron brand. Today, it's those vintage logos that transform the cheese boxes from simply practical storage into nostalgic home decor. Vintage collectors will shell out hundreds of dollars for rare wooden cheese boxes. But if you're interested in adding some good old-fashioned wooden Americana to your interior design, you can find Kraft, Velveeta, or Breakstone's cheese boxes for less than $40. They're easy to find at flea markets or on Etsy or eBay.

These boxes can be used as charming pen holders, napkin caddies, or attractive storage for anything smaller than a brick of cheese. They're right at home in a "grandmillenial" style kitchen, like the one belonging to HGTV's Erin Napier. And if you're just trying to find any way at all to bring some order to your chaotic kitchen, add some wooden cheese boxes to this list of creative ways to store baking supplies.