Land O’Lakes cheesemakers and buttermakers recently received top industry awards at the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association (UMDIA) 2012 Spring Butter and Cheese Contest held at Bongards Creameries in Norwood, Minn. The judging took place in March and included four categories for cheese: cheddar block, cheddar barrel, artisan and miscellaneous. No plant identification or brand names appeared on the product samples during judging.
• Cheesemakers from the Kiel, Wis.placed 1st and 2nd in the Cheddar Block category, scoring 98 and 97.83 out of 100. Entries in this category were evaluated on flavor, body, texture, color, quality and appearance.
• Cheesemakers from Spencer, Wis. tied for 2nd, 4th and 5th place and placed 6th and 9th all in Miscellaneous Cheese category
• Cheesemakers from Denmark, Wis, tied for 4th in the Miscellaneous Cheese category, scoring 97.13 in the No Smoke Provolone category.
• Buttermakers from Kent, OH scored 1st Place in the Butter category with a final score of 99.33 out of 100.
• Buttermakers from Carlisle, Pa. took home 2nd, 7th, 8th, 10th, 12th and 15th place awards – with a high score of 98.83 out of 100. Entries in this category were evaluated on flavor, body, color, salt and finish. Judges also looked for defects in their evaluation of the samples.
Congratulations to the Kiel, Spencer, Denmark, Kent and Carlisle teams for their impressive placements in this contest,” said Jim Anderson, director of Upper Midwest Manufacturing.
“These great results are indicative of our employees’ commitment to quality”, said Tim Kelly, Director of NE Manufacturing.
Four contests organized by UMDIA are used to determine the 2012 Champion Cheesemaker. The March Spring event is the second contest; followed by the June Educational Contest, sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, as well as the final contest of the cycle, the Minnesota State Fair Contest, sponsored by the Minnesota State Agricultural Society.
Source: Land O’Lakes
