The twice world cheese award winner, second generation family operated Basque Cheesemaker secures their highest results yet at the Wisconsin based World Championship Cheese contest.
Competing against 3300 other cheeses, Agour has won two “best in class” gold medal awards for their Basque sheep’s milk PETIT AGOUR and Sheep’s milk and truffle PETIT AGOUR WITH TRUFFLES.
URDIÑA DE BREBIS, a brand-new sheep’s milk blue and AHUNTZA KETUA, a smoked goat’s milk semi soft paste cheese earn silver medals with almost perfect scores.
The PETIT AGOUR Gold medal is a long-awaited reward a for a product that has been a staple of the Agour range for decades, when the other awards give credit to the cheesemaker’s latest innovations.
Agour is the last independent dairy in the Northern Basque Country (ie: The French side of the Pyrénées). With presence in the USA for over 25 years, we hope that these awards will help us cement our position as the Ambassador of Basque Cheeses and culinary tradition. We work directly with 160 small family-owned farms and shepherds, and it is a tremendous achievement for them and for us to be awarded on another continent. This will serve as a great source of motivation for everyone in the team to keep working hard to get American consumers to enjoy our beautiful products.
The 2024 World Championship Cheese contest, based in Wisconsin USA, for its 35th year, has reviewed 3300 different cheeses from 400 cheesemarkers, 25 countries and 32 American states. Cheese is classified into 142 different categories. Judges award grades to each cheese tested, starting from 100 points and deducting points for defects, looking at flavor, body, texture, salt, color, finish, and packaging. Only the three highest grades per category will be awarded a medal.
The contest will also award an all-category winner at the end of the contest.
Agour’s 2024 WCCC Awards:
Petit Agour – 99.15/100 – “best of class” – Hard sheep’s milk cheeses – Mature (less than 6 months)
Petit Agour with truffles – 99/100 – “best of class” – Sheep’s milk cheeses – flavored
Urdiña de Brebis – 97.95/100 – “second award” – Sheep’s milk cheeses with blue mold
Ahuntza Ketua – 98.65/100 – “second award” – Hard goat’s milk cheeses – flavored
