We were honored with six World Cheese Awards at the ceremony held at the International Convention Center in Newport Wales, United Kingdom on November 2.
Standing out amongst the 4,343 entries, were the Creamery’s iconic, legacy product Classic Fresh Goat Cheese, the cheese that started the business nearly 38 years ago and currently ranked the number 1 goat cheese in America, took home Gold. Bonne Bouche, the flagship of their aged cheese collection and Vanilla Crème Fraîche also earned Gold medals.
Beloved aged cheeses, Cremont and Coupole won Silver medals and Bijou, a fan favorite aged goat cheese won Bronze.
“There is no denying the significance of winning at the World Cheese Awards,” said Adeline Druart, president of Vermont Creamery. “Having our most consumer-cherished cheeses recognized by this panel of cheese experts, on the international stage in Europe is so gratifying, knowing that our industry peers appreciate these iconic cheeses as much as our consumers and customers do. This tells us that the US artisanal cheese movement has come a long way and can stand against the world’s best.”
This is the third World Cheese Award for Bonne Bouche in the last five years, the second for Classic Fresh Goat Cheese, the fourth for Bijou, the third for Coupole and Cremont and the second World Cheese Award for Vanilla Crème Fraîche.
Also awarded Bronze and Silver medals were three cheeses from Wegmans named 1916, Sweet 16 and Truffle Shuffle, which is a collaboration between Vermont Creamery (maker) and Wegmans (the affineur and retailer).
Vermont Creamery’s legacy line-up impressed some of the world’s leading experts in cheese, featuring cheesemakers, cheesemongers, buyers, chefs, retailers, and writers. The cheeses were scored on aspects such as the appearance of the rind and paste, as well as the cheese’s aroma, body, and texture, with the majority of points awarded for flavour and mouthfeel.
This year’s World Cheese Awards was the 34th edition and has seen more entries than ever before with a record-breaking 4,434 cheeses submitted from 42 countries and 900 companies from around the globe (10.9% UK based, 89.1% international). The cheeses included increased entries from Canada, Argentina, Slovenia, and Israel, whilst India followed its first entry in 2021 with several more this year and Ukraine saw a huge increase in entries after the World Cheese Awards was moved to Wales from its original 2022 location of Kyiv.
Well-established cheesemaking nations such as France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom were well represented by both returning and new entrants, with a notable increase in Swiss entries.
All entries were judged in a single day, as 250 experts from 38 different nations studied their appearance, texture, aroma, and flavour. Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Super Gold accolades were awarded during the morning session before the Super Golds were reassessed to find this year’s top 16 cheeses and this year’s World Champion Cheese
To learn more about the World Cheese Awards and the Guild of Fine Food, and to view a full list of winners, click here.
