Accident, MD – FireFly Farms- producer of handmade goat cheeses from Mountain Maryland – proudly celebrates two significant anniversaries this year: a decade of cheese making and the first anniversary of its new visitor destination and retail store FireFly Farms Creamery & Market in Accident, Maryland.
Hailed as one of the best new places to visit in Mountain Maryland’s Garrett County the Market features FireFly Farms’ award-winning goat cheeses as well as other specialty, hand-selected items from the region and around the world. All of FireFly Farms cheeses are crafted on site in the adjacent creamery using fresh goat’s milk purchased from local family farms. Visitors can view the specially constructed production and aging facilities and cheese making process through observation windows.
FireFly Farms celebrates these anniversaries with eleven additional individual awards won by its acclaimed line of goat cheeses in 2012 national and international cheese judging programs.
“The past ten years have been wonderful – and a wild ride,” remarked FireFly Farms president, Mike Koch. “These eleven new 2012 awards bring our total individual award count to a staggering fifty-nine. FireFly Farms has earned a respected place among American cheese makers, and is looking forward to another ten years of product excellence.”
The 2012 cheese judging programs included:
The American Cheese Society Competition & Judging held in August 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina. This leading competition of North American-made cheeses, takes place each year in conjunction with the annual ACS conference. The 2012 cheese judging was the largest ever, with 1,711 cheeses entered from 254 North American cheese manufacturers;
The American Dairy Goat Association’s commercial product competition held in October 2012 in Boise, Idaho. Serving the dairy goat industry since 1904, the ADGA Products Committee Competition takes place each year as part of the ADGA Annual Convention and seeks to celebrate excellence in products produced from American goat’s milk; and,
The World Cheese Awards hosted at the BBC Good Food Show in November 2012 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. This world-wide event is the largest cheese competition on the planet. This year’s competition included 2,781 cheeses from 30 countries judged by 255 judges from all over the world.
These 2012 individual awards recognized six of FireFly Farms’ aged goat’s milk cheeses:
FireFly Farm’s Cabra LaMancha™ received three new 2012 awards: a first-place award in the 2012 American Cheese Society Competition & Judging, a second-place award in the 2012 ADGA commercial products competition, and a Silver Medal in the 2012 World Cheese Awards. These three new awards bring Cabra LaMancha’s total individual award count to twelve. Previous awards include its 2005 selection by Southern Foodways Alliance as one of the “Top 10” American goat’s milk cheeses and its international recognition at the World Cheese Awards in 2008 and 2009.
FireFly’s aged goat cheese, Bella Vita™, received a first-place award in the 2012 ADGA commercial products competition. This new award brings Bella Vita’s total individual award count to eight. Previous awards include a 2010 first-place award at the American Cheese Society Competition and Judging, a Super Gold Medal at the 2010 World Cheese Awards, and a 2007 designation as “Reserve Best-In-Show” at the American Dairy Goat Association’s annual commercial product competition.
FireFly’s aged goat blue cheese, MountainTop Bleu™ received three new 2012 awards: a third-place award in the 2012 American Cheese Society Competition & Judging, a second-place award in the 2012 ADGA commercial products competition, and a Silver Medal in the 2012 World Cheese Awards. These three new awards bring MountainTop Bleu’s total individual award count to eighteen. Previous awards include 2005 selection by Saveur Magazine editors as one of their 50 favorite American cheeses and its international recognition at the World Cheese Awards in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010.
FireFly Farm’s Merry Goat Round™ received a Bronze Medal in the 2012 World Cheese Awards. This new award brings Merry Goat Round’s total individual award count to ten. Previous awards include international recognition at the World Cheese Awards in 2004, 2007, and 2008.
FireFly Farm’s Black & Blue™ received a second-place award at the 2012 ADGA commercial products competition. This new award brings Black & Blue’s total individual award count to seven. Previous awards include consecutive first place finishes in the ADGA commercial products competition in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
FireFly Farm’s Buche Noire™ received a Bronze Medal in the 2012 World Cheese Awards. This new award brings Buche Noire’s total individual award count to four. Previous awards include international recognition at the World Cheese Awards in 2006.
FireFly Farms cheese is available at farmer’s markets, restaurants and many specialty retail stores. For information on where to purchase please contact the farm directly or visit http://www.fireflyfarms.com.
About FireFly Farms:
FireFly Farms offers nationally & internationally awardwinning premium goat cheese that features the distinct regional flavors of Mountain Maryland’s Allegheny Plateau. Each cheese is artfully handcrafted and aged with precise detail; and, each offers distinguished flavor, exceptional texture, noteworthy composition, and unprecedented aesthetics. The cheese of FireFly Farms is produced using agriculturally sustainable, locallysourced fresh goat’s milk and timehonored, traditional methods of goat cheese making.
Source: FireFly Farms
