NEWTON, WI – Pine River Pre-Pack earned five awards at the World Championship Cheese Contest held in Madison, Wisconsin last week, including the top spots in the Cold Pack Cheese Food and Cold Pack Cheese Spread classes.
Jalapeno, a golden cheddar cheese spiced with lively jalapeno and bell peppers took Best-in-Class in the Cold Pack Cheese Food class, while Pepper Jack, a spicy, delicate, and buttery spread took the top honor in the Cold Pack Cheese Spread category.
This is the third Best-in-Class award for Pepper Jack who took the title at the last World competition in 2018 and at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in 2019 and 2017. This is the first Best-in-Class award for Jalapeno.
Aged Asiago, a sharp nutty Italian-inspired spread with a sweet finish, took second place for the second consecutive year in the Cold Pack Cheese Food class and Spicy Beer won second place for the Cold Pack Cheese Spread class.
Rounding out the top three spots for the Cold Pack Cheese Spread class was Black Creek Sharp Cheddar, a custom blend Pine River crafts under private label for Black Creek, a Saputo USA company.
“Winning two Best-in-Class awards at such a prestigious cheese contest really validates the hard work and dedication of our team,” said Phil Lindemann, CEO of Pine River Pre-Pack. “It’s an honor to be recognized on an international level and we’ll continue to strive to use only the finest Wisconsin dairy ingredients to produce the best cheese spread in the world.”
This year 55 judges from around the world gathered to assess a record 3,667 entries from 26 countries. The World Championship Cheese Contest is the largest technical cheese and butter competition in the world.
To view the full list of winners, click here. To learn more about Pine River, or use our online store locator to find a retailer near you, visit pineriver.com.
About Pine River Pre-Pack
Pine Rive Pre-Pack has been crafting award-winning gourmet cheese spreads and confections for over fifty years. Our Cold Pack Cheese Food is available in the refrigerated deli and dairy cases of select grocery and gourmet food stores across the United States and sold nationally through school and civic group fundraisers, and corporate gift programs. For more information, visit pineriver.com.
