Accident, Maryland – FireFly Farms, producer of handmade goat cheeses from Mountain Maryland, proudly celebrates a successful 2014 season with ten additional individual awards won by its acclaimed line of goat cheeses in national and international cheese judging programs.
“The past year has been another great year for the FireFly Farms’ team,” remarked FireFly Farms president, Mike Koch. “These ten new 2014 awards bring our total individual award count to a staggering seventy-three! FireFly Farms has earned a respected place among American cheese makers, and is looking forward to further expanding its product line and product distribution in the years to come.”
The 2014 cheese judging programs included:
The American Cheese Society Competition & Judging held July 29th through August 1st in Sacramento, California. This leading competition of North American-made cheeses, takes place each year in conjunction with the annual ACS conference. The 2014 cheese judging is the largest annual competition in the United States. This year, more than 1,700 cheeses were entered for judging by hundreds of North American cheese manufacturers.
The American Dairy Goat Association’s commercial product competition held in October 2014 in Portland, Maine. 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.
The World Cheese Awards hosted at the BBC’s Good Food Food Show in November 2014 in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. This worldwide event is the largest cheese competition on the planet. This year’s competition included over 2,600 cheeses from 30 countries judged by 250 expert judges from all over the world.
Five of FireFly Farms’ goat’s milk cheeses were recognized with awards in 2014:
FireFly Farm’s Allegheny Chevre™ received two new 2014 awards: a first-place award in the ADGA commercial products competition, and a Bronze Medal in the World Cheese Awards.
“These two new awards for our fresh Allegheny Chevre are just fantastic,” commented FireFly Farms’ head cheese maker, Dan Porter. “Our chevre has been a huge commercial success and it’s nice to see this international recognition for its superior taste, freshness, and quality.”
FireFly’s aged goat blue cheese, MountainTop Bleu™ received two new 2014 awards: a third-place award in the ADGA commercial products competition, and a Bronze Medal in the World Cheese Awards. These two new awards bring MountainTop Bleu’s total individual award count to twenty-two – FireFly Farms’ single most-awarded cheese. 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, 2010, 2013, and now 2014.
FireFly Farm’s Cabra LaMancha™ received two new 2014 awards: a first-place award in the American Cheese Society Competition & Judging, and a third-place award in the ADGA commercial products competition. These two new awards bring Cabra LaMancha’s total individual award count to fourteen. 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, 2009, and 2012.
FireFly Farm’s Black & Blue™ received two new 2014 awards: a third-place award at the 2012 ADGA commercial products competition, and a third-place award in the American Cheese Society Competition & Judging. These new awards bring Black & Blue’s total individual award count to eleven. Previous awards include six first place finishes in the ADGA commercial products competition in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013.
FireFly’s aged goat cheese, Bella Vita™ received two new 2014 awards: a second-place award in the ADGA commercial products competition, and a Gold Medal in the World Cheese Awards. These new awards bring Bella Vita’s total individual award count to nine. 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.
Hailed as one of the best 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 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.
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.
Source: FireFly Farms
