Out of 2,249 entries in the 2023 United States Championship Cheese Contest, just 20 cheeses remain in the hunt for the title: U.S. Champion Cheese. Over the past two days in Green Bay, Wis., a team of 42 elite cheese judges have evaluated entries from 35 states based on their technical merits, including flavor, texture, appearance, and taste.
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, the Contest host organization, announced – by order of class number - the names and makers of the cheeses being judged for the top prize.
Class 2: Cheddar, Medium (Three to Six Months) Cheese Name: Cheddar Maker: Dillon Sylla Company: Associated Milk Producers Inc., Blair, Wis.
Class 4: Cheddar, Aged One to Two Years Cheese Name: Cracker Barrel Aged Reserve Cheddar Maker: Manufactured by Agropur - Weyauwega Company: Lactalis Heritage Dairy, Weyauwega, Wis.
Class 6: Traditional Waxed Cheddar, Mild to Medium Cheese Name: Roelli Haus Select Cheddar Maker: Team Roelli Company: Roelli Cheese, Shullsburg, Wis.
Class 8: Natural Rinded Cheddar Cheese Name: Lucky Linda Clothbound Cheddar Maker: Redhead Creamery Company: Redhead Creamery, Brooten, Minn.
Class 12: Baby Swiss Style Cheese Name: Baby Swiss Wheel, Rindless Maker: DV Team 2 Company: Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg, Ohio
Class 13: Swiss Style Cheese Cheese Name: Founder 56 Emmentaler Swiss Maker: James Yoder Company: Rothenbuhler Cheesemakers, Middlefield, Ohio
Class 19: Provolone, Mild Cheese Name: Mild Provolone Cheese Maker: Cuba Team 3 Company: Great Lakes Cheese, Cuba, N.Y.
Class 23: Parmesan Cheese Name: Organic Copper Kettle Parmesan Maker: Team Lake Country Dairy Company: Schuman Cheese, Turtle Lake, Wis.
Class 38: Gouda, Aged Cheese Name: Europa Maker: Arethusa Cheese Team Company: Arethusa Farm Dairy, Bantam, Conn.
Class 45: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Semi-soft Cheeses Cheese Name: Whitney Maker: Jasper Hill Farm Company: Jasper Hill Farm, Greensboro Bend, Vt.
Class 47: Pepper Flavored Monterey Jack, Mild Heat Cheese Name: Pepper Jack Maker: Juan Torres Company: Glanbia Nutritionals, Twin Falls, Idaho
Class 48: Pepper Flavored Monterey Jack, Medium Heat Cheese Name: Ghost Pepper Jack Maker: Jim Falls Cheese Team Company: Associated Milk Producers Inc., Jim Falls, Wis.
Class 54: Open Class: Semi-soft Cheeses Cheese Name: Cello Fontal Maker: Lake Country Dairy Company: Schuman Cheese, Turtle Lake, Wis.
Class 55: Open Class: Hard Cheeses Cheese Name: Vintage Cupola American Original Cheese Maker: Team Door Artisan Cheese Company Company: Red Barn Family Farms, Egg Harbor, Wis.
Class 56: Open Class: Cheeses with Natural Rind Cheese Name: St. Malachi Maker: Team Doe Run Company: The Farm at Doe Run. Coatesville, Pa.
Class 59: Open Class: Hard Cheeses, Flavored Cheese Name: Rumiano Pepato Dry Jack Maker: Rumiano Cheese Company: Rumiano Cheese, Crescent City, Calif.
Class 77: Hard Goat’s Milk Cheeses Cheese Name: Hootenanny Maker: Goat Rodeo Team Company: Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy. Allison Park, Pa.
Class 83: Hard Sheep’s Milk Cheeses Cheese Name: Sweet Annie Maker: Landmark Creamery Company: Landmark Creamery, Belleville, Wis.
Class 86: Soft & Semi-soft Mixed Milk Cheeses Cheese Name: Breezy Blue Maker: Kingston Cheese Team Company: Kingston Creamery. Cambria, Wis.
Class 88: Hard Mixed Milk Cheeses Cheese Name: Wegmans Three Milk Gouda Maker: Todd Pontius Company: Old Chatham Creamery. Groton, N.Y.
A complete list of gold, silver, and bronze medalists by class is available now at https://uschampioncheese.org/.
The 2023 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest winner will be named via livestream at link at 2 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, February 23.
The U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, initiated in 1981, is the nation’s premier technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition and this year marks the 21st biennial edition.
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