BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom — Sartori Cheese was awarded thirteen medals at the 2012 World Cheese Awards held in the UK this week. The World Cheese Awards is a premier and highly competitive worldwide competition – with cheese from 30 countries and a record 2,781 entries this year.
Sartori's top finish came from its Limited Edition Cognac BellaVitano® cheese which was awarded a Super Gold Medal – one of the select few cheeses advancing to the final round of judging. In 2011 Cognac BellaVitano took 3rd place overall – the highest ranking ever for a cheese from the United States. In this year's competition, Sartori SarVecchio® Parmesan took home another first place gold medal, the 10th internationally recognized accolade for this cheese in just the past two years and its 22nd award in the past five years. In addition to the Gold Medal finishes, Sartori was awarded six silver medals and five bronze medals. "It is a tremendous honor to earn even one medal at an international competition like this and earning thirteen across a broad spectrum of our cheese is really something special," says third generation owner, Jim Sartori.
"People often ask me what the secret is," continues Sartori. "The first thing I tell them is that it all starts on the farm; we are blessed to have wonderful family-owned patron dairy farms that provide us the highest quality supply of fresh rBST-free milk." Many of Sartori's patron dairy farmers are also multi-generation operations and have been selling milk to Sartori since the beginning in 1939. The farms are all within a close radius of the plant, enabling the company to convert the milk to cheese very quickly.
In addition to the strong local relationships and fresh milk, Sartori also maintains a rigorous milk quality program with its patrons. Sartori purchases 100% of their farmer's milk and has field liaisons on the farms every day to help the farmers and ensure quality. All Sartori patrons are incentivized to ensure consistent top quality milk. "It's all these things together," says Sartori, "the fresh local milk, the family approach, the quality program, and the strong communication, that ensure our cheesemakers start with the best milk in the world."
"Our patrons will be just as excited as we are about the results of this year's competition. I think that is a true testament of the pride they have in their work and the bond they share with us as members of the extended Sartori family," says Jim Sartori. "I look forward to sharing the great news with our milk producers and sincerely thank our Team Members and Customers for their continued support."
Sartori's 2012 World Cheese Award Honors:
Cognac BellaVitano…………..Super Gold Medal SarVecchio Parmesan……….Gold Medal Cannella BellaVitano…………Silver Medal Balsamic BellaVitano………..Silver Medal Chai BellaVitano……………..Silver Medal Extra Aged Fontina………….Silver Medal Classic Parmesan……………Silver Medal Raspberry BellaVitano………Bronze Medal Merlot BellaVitano……………Bronze Medal Classic Asiago……………….Bronze Medal
About Sartori Sartori has been producing artisan and premium cheese for seven decades for Specialty, Retail, Ingredient, Restaurant and Food Service markets. Based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Sartori has an impressive array of award winning cheese noted for innovative approaches and consistent top quality across their entire line. For more information, please visit www.sartoricheese.com or call us directly at 800-558-5888.
Source: Sartori Company
