Global dairy product entries for the 35th biennial World Championship Cheese Contest has reached 3,302 cheeses, butters, yogurts and dairy ingredients. This is according to event host Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA).
“In the U.S. and around the world, the Contest’s gold medal seal on the labels of award-winning products drives consumer purchases and boosts sales,” said WCMA Contest Director Kirsten Strohmenger. “Our Contest offers entrants the chance at a coveted title. It also offers valuable impartial technical feedback from a team of internationally renowned judges.”
More than 400 dairy manufacturers from 25 countries and 32 American states submitted entries.
Countries represented in the World Championship Cheese Contest include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, as well as United Kingdom.
American dairy manufacturers entered in the competition hail from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, as well as Wisconsin.
“It’s a truly global competition, with the best makers entering their best products. A win at our Contest means the world,” said Strohmenger.
Dairy processing experts from all over the world will carefully evaluate each entry on March 5 and 6. They will consider the products’ flavor, body, texture, salt, color, finish, and packaging. These Preliminary rounds of judging will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (CT) They will take place at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison. Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded to the three highest-scoring entries in each of the classes.
On March 7, the gold-medal cheeses will be evaluated again by the entire panel of international judges. This will determine a single World Champion. Cheese lovers everywhere can watch the announcement of the World Champion Cheese live online at WorldChampionCheese.org. They can also watch on Facebook at 2:00 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, March 7.
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