Pringy, Switzerland – Today the Interprofession du Gruyère is pleased to announce the winner of their 2018 ‘Scholarship’ Contest, launched in December of 2017. In fact, part of the news is that there is again, as in 2016, not just a single winner. This year, we have two! The judges felt that the quality of the competition, held among American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professionals®, was so extraordinary that choosing multiple victors was the only way to properly honor the endeavor.
The winners will receive a trip to the Gruyères Region of Switzerland in the autumn of 2018, where they will travel to several areas within the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin, or AOP in French), and discover the special properties of the people and the region that create Gruyère AOP.
In order to earn their prize, the competitors had to answer a series of questions regarding Gruyère AOP, and were then asked to highlight an aspect of Gruyère AOP and present it – in a recipe, a showcase, etc.
Our esteemed panel of judges consisted of Susan Sturman (Board of Directors American Cheese Society and Educator of Academie Opus Caseus), Lassa Skinner (journalist and owner of Culture – The Word on Cheese magazine) and Alexandre Herrmann (Director of Swiss Tourism Americas). After much thoughtful consideration, they agreed to honor the following three contest winners (listed alphabetically by last name):
Erin Harris, “The Cheese Poet” – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Chad Farmer-Davis, The Kroger Company – Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
As our winners visit with milk producers, cheese makers and refiners from various areas within our region, they will learn, but will also teach – they will be asked to discuss their work, so that Gruyère AOP can better serve their needs in the U.S. going forward. Gruyère AOP is proud to have the opportunity to present its process to these important members of the U.S. cheese market, and to introduce representatives of our partners in production, without whom our outstanding product would not be possible. Without excellent milk, a cheese maker with enduring skill and longstanding know-how, and a refiner that takes proper and round-the-clock care of the cheeses, Gruyère AOP is not possible. The respect for the heritage of Le Gruyère AOP is indeed the reason for all of its success.
The Interprofession du Gruyère represents the milk producers (2200), cheesemakers (165 village cheese makers, and 53 alpine cheese makers) and refiners (9) of Gruyère AOP Switzerland. Responsibilities of the Interprofession include overseeing the quality control, the quantities and the marketing of Gruyère AOP Switzerland, as well as the defense of the trademark and PDO in the U.S. and worldwide.
Source: The Interprofession du Gruyère
