For nearly 100 years, most of the cheese made in America was American cheese. Specifically, cheddar cheese reigned supreme: The cheese is a hallmark of states like Vermont and Wisconsin, and its production currently accounts for more than three times as much as all other American cheeses combined. It’s the cheese that’s processed into Kraft Singles and Velveeta, and it’s why the stereotypical American macaroni and cheese is orange.

But since the mid-1960’s, Italian-style cheese has boomed in the United States, working up from millions to billions of pounds produced each year, according to data gathered from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The driving force behind this shift has been mozzarella, the gooey economic engine that propelled Italian-style cheese to overtake American cheese production in the US in 2010.