ARCATA, CA – Cypress Grove®, the artisan goat cheese company best known for its flagship cheese, Humboldt Fog®, is proud to announce fifteen awards received across its portfolio of goat cheeses from three major category competitions: the 19th biennial U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, 2017 California State Fair and 2017 sofi™ Awards. Highlights of the award season include top honors awarded to the Cypress Grove’s Humboldt Fog®, Midnight Moon®, Sgt. Pepper®, Bermuda Triangle®, and Chevre Log.
At the 19th biennial U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, Cypress Grove won five awards including two ‘Best of Class’ awards for Humboldt Fog and Chevre Log. A record-setting 2,303 cheeses, butters, and yogurts from 33 states were entered for technical evaluation in the 2017 US Championship Cheese Contest. The US Championship Cheese Contest is the largest technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition in the country, and has been held biennially since 1981.
Cypress Grove won nine awards at the 2017 California State Fair including four ‘Gold’ awards honoring Purple Haze, Sgt. Pepper, Bermuda Triangle and Humboldt Fog, with Bermuda Triangle and Humboldt Fog also honored with ‘Best of California.’ This past April, twenty California cheese companies presented 127 cheeses, which were then evaluated by a panel of twelve qualified judges. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the California State Fair.
Cypress Grove’s aged goat cheese, Midnight Moon, won bronze at the 2017 sofi™ Awards within the cheese-non-cow milk, mixed milk category. The Specialty Food Association began the sofi Awards in 1972 and the 2017 winners were selected from 3,000 entries by a national panel of 62 culinary experts in a blind tasting.
Cypress Grove’s fifteen awards are listed below, by category:
Soft-Ripened
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Humboldt Fog
- Best of Class (Surface Ripened Goat’s Milk Cheeses), U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
- Gold/Best of California (California Originals, Goat Milk), 2017 California State Fair
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Truffle Tremor
- Second Place (Surface Ripened Goat’s Milk Cheeses), U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
- Silver (White Surface Mold — Flavor Added), 2017 California State Fair
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Bermuda Triangle
- Gold/Best of California (White Surface Mold — Open), 2017 California State Fair
Aged
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Midnight Moon
- Bronze sofi™ award
Fresh
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PsycheDillic
- Silver (Soft Fresh Cheese – Flavored), 2017 California State Fair
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Sgt. Pepper
- Gold (Soft Fresh Cheese – Flavored), 2017 California State Fair
- Third Place (Flavored Soft Goat’s Milk Cheeses), U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
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Ms. Natural
- Second Place (Soft Goat’s Milk Cheeses), U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
- Silver (Soft Fresh Cheese – Open Category, Goat), 2017 California State Fair
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Herbs de Humboldt
- Silver (Soft Fresh Cheese – Flavored), 2017 California State Fair
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Purple Haze
- Gold (Soft Fresh Cheese – Flavored), 2017 California State Fair
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Chevre Log
- Best of Class (Soft Goat’s Milk Cheeses), U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
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Fromage Blanc
- Silver (Soft Fresh Cheese — Open Category, Goat), 2017 California State Fair
Upon winning, Cypress Grove attributed their success to the cheesemaking team’s dedication. “Fifteen awards with six of the highest awards possible — not a bad way to start the year!” says Bob McCall, Cypress Grove’s trade development director. “This is a great time to thank our cheesemaking team for their consistent efforts — not only with Humboldt Fog, but with all of our cheeses.”
CYPRESS GROVE
Cypress Grove® is the leading producer of delicious American goat cheese that makes you want to do the happy dance, including Humboldt Fog®, the Original American Original®. Founded in 1983 by goat cheese pioneer Mary Keehn, Cypress Grove conjures cheeses across three product lines that complete every cheese case: fresh, soft-ripened, and aged. Proudly based in Arcata, Calif., Cypress Grove transforms the ordinary to extraordinary, producing unforgettable cheeses and leading the charge in the American cheese movement.
Source: Cypress Grove®
