EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A best-in-class cheeses tradition continues at Prairie Farms following a contest leading 13 awards presented to its plants at the 2020 National Milk Producers Cheese Contest held virtually on October 27th and 28th.
Multiple dairy cooperatives submitted cheeses from plant locations in California, Illinois, and Wisconsin this year as they competed to be tops in 22 cheese categories. Cheese entries were divided by classes and sent directly to NMPF judges. After all the votes were tallied, Prairie Farms won the most honors including six out of nine awards in the three cottage cheese categories and four 1st place finishes overall.
Prairie Farms Cottage Cheese was particularly strong this year in the Reduced-Fat Cottage Cheese Category where Prairie Farms plants swept all three spots. The Quincy, Illinois plant took 1st place followed by Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 2nd place and Carbondale, Illinois in 3rd place. In the Regular Cottage Cheese Category, the Ft. Wayne plant won 1st place followed by Quincy in 2nd place with 4% Cottage Cheese. In the Flavored Cottage Cheese Category, the Ft. Wayne team won 2nd place with Garden Veggie Flavored Cottage Cheese.
Prairie Farms’ Cheese Divisions made strong showings in multiple cheese categories including a 1st and 2nd place in the Swiss Cheese Category by the Luana, Iowa team with Baby Swiss Wheel and Baby Swiss Loaf.
The Rochester, Minnesota team took 1st place in the Processed American Plain Category with its American Plain cheese. In the Hard & Mold Ripened Italian Category, the Caves of Faribault Team in Faribault,
Minnesota took 2nd place with St. Pete’s Select® Blue Cheese. In the Open Class Cheese Category, the Luana team took 2nd place with Cream Cheese Loaf. The Schullsburg, Wisconsin team achieved 2nd place in the Medium Cheddar Category with Medium Cheddar Loaf. The Mindoro, Wisconsin team won 3rd place with its Mindoro Collection Pasteurized Gorgonzola Wheel.
“It’s always a great honor for our plants to bring home so many cheese awards at NMPF given the competitive environment,” said Ed Mullins, CEO of Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. “This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our dairy farmers and plants to provide and process quality milk into best-in-class cheeses.”
The National Milk Producers Federation awards conclude another year of best-in-class wins for Prairie Farms cheeses including a 1st place finish and a Grand Championship with its Cream Cheese at the North Central Cheese Industries Contest. Prairie Farms’ Cheese Division, Caves of Faribault, won a Bronze Award in the
Cow’s Milk Category with Felix® Blue Cheese at the Specialty Food Association’s 2020 sofi™ Awards. Since
1938, consumers have come to rely on the consistent quality of Prairie Farms dairy products. For more information about our farmers, products, and promotions visit Prairiefarms.com.
Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful dairy cooperatives in the Midwest and parts of the South. Elements of the cooperative include more than 800 farm families, 8100 employees, 51 manufacturing plants, over 100 distribution facilities and annual sales of over $3 billion. Prairie Farms is a nationally recognized leader in the dairy industry known for setting the standard for milk flavor innovations and producing award-winning milk, cheese, and cultured dairy products. With headquarters in Edwardsville, Ill., the Prairie Farms distribution footprint covers over 30 percent of the United States; products are available in grocery chains, mass merchandiser stores, club stores, convenience stores, dollar stores, drug stores, schools, foodservice outlets and warehouse distribution centers. Prairie Farms charitable giving program, Our Caps, Your Cause, supports a variety of non-profit organizations.
