MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin won more awards for its cheese and dairy products than any other state at the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest, taking home 81 awards – about 41 percent – of the total awards given.
Plymouth, Wisconsin-based Sartori Company took home the Grand Champion Cheese & Butter award for its Sartori Limited Edition Pastorale Blend, made with a mix of cow and sheep's milk and hand-rubbed with smoky paprika.
Wisconsin also swept 13 categories: Sharp Cheddar; Swiss Styles; Brick, Muenster; Flavored Natural Cheeses; Cold Pack Cheese, Cheese Food, Cheese Spread; Open Class Semi-Soft Cheese; Open Class Hard Cheese; Goat Milk Cheese; Open Class Cheese; Regular Vanilla Ice Cream; Open Class Sherbet; Whey; and Open Class for Creative & Innovative Products.
This year's contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA), received a record 1,210 entries from dairy processors throughout North America. Since its inception in 2003, the contest has grown at an average rate of 12 percent each year. "This is unprecedented growth for a dairy product contest and is a direct reflection of the high level of interest that dairy processors have in entering the only judging contest of its kind in North America," said Brad Legreid, executive director, WDPA.
On Sept. 29, the first-place winners of the contest will be auctioned off during the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. A portion of the proceeds from the contest auction will be used to fund scholarships for students pursuing careers in the dairy industry.
For a complete listing of Wisconsin's awards, visit
EatWisconsinCheese.com. For hi-res photos, contact Joanna Miller,
jmiller@stephanbrady.com, (608) 692-3234. For additional information and questions, contact Heather Porter Engwall at WMMB,
hporterengwall@wmmb.org, (608) 836-8820.