MSU Cheese Store at Mississippi State University

The Cheese

In 1938 a shipment of ten teakwood hoops arrived from Holland: moulds for the round, waxed "cannon ball" Edam that F.H. Herzer introduced and that has been a Mississippi State symbol ever since. The university plant makes 50,000 three-pound Edam balls a year, brined, waxed and aged three months. It also makes cheddar in 20-pound blocks, aged and cut into waxed two-pound bricks, and about 10,000 wheels a year of Vallagret, a sweet, nutty Norwegian-style Swiss developed by an MSU graduate student. All MSU cheese is aged at least 90 days.

What Else to Buy

The store sells ice cream by the cup, half gallon and three gallons, including Muscadine Ripple made with muscadine grapes from a university experiment station, plus milk from the campus dairy, jellies, peanuts, coffee and gift packs. Some products are sold only in the store.

Where the Milk Comes From

Milk comes from the university's Bearden Dairy Research Center, where staff milk up to 200 cows twice a day, and is processed at the Custer Dairy Processing Plant, a teaching and research lab for dairy science students.

Holiday Orders

For 2026, holiday orders opened on 9 September, shipping starts on 9 November, and the last day to collect a pickup order is 16 December. Pickup orders must be paid when you order.

Getting There

The campus is next to Starkville in northeast Mississippi. Park on campus and look for the glass annex at the front of the Herzer Food Science Building.