Why is sharp cheddar cheese more expensive than mild cheddar cheese?!
Answers: Is it more expensive to make?
The sharpness is usually determined by the time it is aged. The really sharp can be aged for five years. That means the producer has no financial return on the product for a longer period of time and has to recover that profit by charging more. Plus, the cheese may lose a little weight as it ages.
It's aged longer = more labor intensive.
It is more expensive to make because it is aged much longer and there are storage spaces and labour costs to be taken into consideration when pricing it.
Sharp cheese has to be stored, cured & tended for many months - even years - to obtain that nice sharpness, where a mild cheddar can be ready for sale in as little as a couple of months.
Cheeses are aged to give the cheese a certain taste...so the longer the aging the stronger the taste...I'm sure there are other reasons the cheese makers have for the price difference but aging is the only reason I can come up with. yum yum time for a treat!
Mama Jazzy Geri
A cheese becomes sharp as it ages. So, a sharp cheese has aged more, and therefor took more work to make.
It takes more ingredients to make it.