This Valentine's Day, Show Them You Care With a Heart-Shaped Box of Cheese

A heart-shaped box of chocolates is one of the most traditional Valentine's Day gifts out there—and who doesn't enjoy indulging in a great chocolate truffle? That said, if you're going to pack over 1,000 calories into a box, plenty of people would prefer to indulge their savory side instead of their sweet tooth. If your valentine fits into the former category, Wisconsin Cheese has an option: limited-edition, personalized heart-shaped boxes of cheese. And they are giving them out for free.

From today until January 31, the cheese promoting arm of Wisconsin's official dairy association is encouraging people to nominate any cheese lover of their choice (even friends, family, and coworkers) to receive one of just 500 complimentary gift-boxes from Wisconsin, "The State of Cheese."

"It's the season of love, and this year we're thinking beyond traditional symbols of romance for a more inclusive holiday that everyone can enjoy," Suzanne Fanning, chief marketing officer for Wisconsin Cheese and senior vice president for the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, said in the announcing the giveaway. "In Wisconsin, cheese is our love language, and we know many of our fans across the country feel the same way, so this is a 'grate' way to celebrate with cheese lovers nationwide."

Looking for more puns? Wisconsin Cheese also points out that cheese is a perfect gift for 2021 after enduring "a 'stinky' 2020 that had us feeling 'bleu.'" The pandemic certainly wasn't worth that wordplay, but credit to Wisconsin Cheese for doing what they can.

The heart-shaped boxes, which can be personalized with one of three 'cheesy' greetings, will contain "five specialty Wisconsin cheeses, crafted by multi-generation cheesemakers including Master Cheesemakers, and sponsored by the experts at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin." They include the dessert-ready Crave Brothers Chocolate Mascarpone, the "decently creamy" Cedar Grove Butterkäse, the "sophisticated" Wood River Creamery Black Truffle Cheddar, the award-winning Roth Buttermilk Blue, and Henning's Maple Bourbon Cheddar, which "charms" and "surprises."

You can make your nominations at WisconsinCheese.com/ForTheLoveOfCheese. According to the official rules, entries are required to have at least a 100-word explanation as to why you've chosen your nominee, but winners will be chosen at random. Multiple nominations are "encouraged."

And yes, Wisconsin Cheese says you can totally nominate yourself… I guess because, as they say, you can't love someone else until you love yourself (with free cheese).