When Norway’s national soccer team headed to the World Cup this summer, there was one taste of home they couldn’t leave behind: Norwegian brown cheese, known in the U.S. as Ski Queen from Norseland Inc. The story sparked curiosity, and sales soon followed. Now, Ski Queen is launching a special holiday edition, Ski Queen Holiday Spice, in selected U.S. grocery stores.

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Ski Queen Holiday Spice, seasonal Norwegian caramel cheese.

With a history dating back more than 160 years, Norwegian brown cheese is known for its unique balance of sweet and salty flavors. Often described as Norwegian caramel cheese, it has been a part of Norwegian food culture for generations.

During the World Cup, Google Trends recorded an increase of more than 5,000% in relative U.S. search interest for “brown cheese” compared with the same period the previous year. During the week of Norway’s quarter-final, sales of Ski Queen jumped 170% year over year at Whole Foods Market.

“Brunost (brown cheese) is one of Norway’s most distinctive culinary traditions. We’re seeing that Americans are fascinated by its unique flavor and the story behind it. We’re excited to see how American consumers respond to the special holiday variety of Ski Queen. It certainly stands out from anything else in the cheese aisle with its unique combination of sweetness and saltiness,” says Bente Hammervold, Marketing Director at TINE International, Norseland Inc.’s parent company in the U.S.

Ski Queen has been available in the U.S. market since the 1940s. The holiday variety is slightly sweeter and features a distinctive taste of cardamom compared to traditional brown cheese. Ski Queen is sold in approximately 5,000 stores across the United States, including Whole Foods Market, Kroger and Albertsons.

In recent years, the Norwegian Brunost has also gained popularity in Asia, where it is being used in a wide variety of dishes. In Korea, Brunost is used as topping on croffle, coffee, pancakes, ice cream and even on pizza and spicy noodles.

“Over the past decade, sales of our holiday variety have increased nearly sixfold back in Norway. The seasonal product has helped drive renewed growth in the Brunost-category and we are now looking forward to introducing this Norwegian specialty to new consumers and markets. We are curious to see how consumers in other markets will use Norwegians’ seasonal favorite cheese,” says Hammervold.

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