Wisconsin woman crowned ‘Young Cheesemonger of the Year’ at 2025 World Cheese Awards

Every November, cheesemongers from around the world gather at the World Cheese Awards to compete for the international title of Young Cheesemonger of the Year. And this year, a Wisconsin woman became the first American to take home the title.

Hanna Lee, 28, is a seasonal cheesemaking assistant at Uplands Cheese Company in Dodgeville. She was one of six finalists who traveled to the competition in Bern, Switzerland, where they were judged in tasks crucial to being a good cheesemonger — like identifying cheeses, cutting and weighing, cheeseboard design and creating perfect flavor pairings. 

For the competition, Lee designed a summer birthday cheeseboard that included a Marieke Gouda from Thorpe. Her “perfect pairing” surprised the judges with two types of blue stilton paired with Speculoos cookie butter. 

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Wisconsin Public Radio