Beemster Royaal Grand Cru Wins World Champion Cheese 2026
March 20, 2026 | 2 min to read
Elizabeth, NJ—Atalanta Corp and its Canadian GGG company Finica Food Specialties are proud to announce that Beemster Royaal Grand Cru®, imported exclusively by Atalanta in the U.S. and Finica in Canada, has been named the World Champion Cheese of 2026.
Royaal Grand Cru was chosen best cheese in the world from 3,375 entries at the 2026 World Championship Cheese
Contest®, earning 98.68 out of 100 points. The World Championship Cheese Contest, launched in 1957, is judged by experts from around the world.
Royaal Grand Cru is a PDO North Holland Gouda made at the CONO Kaasmakers dairy in the heart of the Beemster Polder in the Netherlands. The cheese has a firm, dense texture with tasty crystallization that develops from the year-long natural aging. The flavor carries the iconic nuttiness of traditional Gouda, alongside sweet toffee notes. Beemster developed the Royaal recipe to honor its appointment as Purveyor to the Royal Court of the Netherlands — a distinction granted only to companies that are at least 100 years old, regionally significant, and reflective of Dutch culture.
CONO Kaasmakers, Beemster’s cooperative, has produced cheese in North Holland since 1901. All farms are family-owned, and the cooperative is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2026. Atalanta and Finica are proud to bring these award-winning cheeses to consumers across North America.
Master Cheesemaker Sjoerd Hiemstra: “When a cheese scores this high with an international jury, you know everything has to be right.”
Jerry Griep, CEO of CONO Kaasmakers: “Seeing a cheese from Beemster named the best in the world makes us incredibly proud. This title proves our cheese is appreciated worldwide.”
Gijs Dankers, General Manager of Export at CONO Kaasmakers, added: “It’s especially meaningful to receive this award as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of CONO Kaasmakers. This award reinforces our dedication to cheesemaking and the care that our farmers provide the cows and their stewardship of the land.”
In addition to the World Champion title, several other Beemster cheeses imported by Atalanta and Finica were awarded gold medals at the competition: Beemster Hatch Pepper Gouda and Beemster Smoked Gouda both won Best in Class in their respective categories.