Cashton, WI – Pasture Pride, makers of some of Wisconsin’s finest specialty cheese, has been recognized with top honors for their Juusto™ Traditional at the 2015 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. The national panel of expert cheese judges scored the cheese with a 98.60, edging out cheeses from New Jersey (Second) and Connecticut (Third), and the only Juustoleipa-style cheese in the top-five. It was the first year for the category of Prepared Cheese Foods. The U.S. Championship Cheese Contest was held in Milwaukee, March 17-19, 2015. An award ceremony will be held later in April.
A Modern Day Version of a 200 Year Old Recipe
Juusto™ is based on the Old-World, traditional Scandinavian recipe was developed over 200 years ago. “Juustolepia” or “Ostbrod” means “bread cheese,” but we call it “Juusto”. Juusto™ is a buttery-tasting, flat and squeaky cheese made using farmer-certified rBGH-free milk from cows kept on pasture. Using the original recipe, each piece is baked in special ovens to create a delicious toasty crust.
Small Herds, Cows Graze on Pasture
A group of small Amish farm families supply the milk from cows kept on pasture, milked by hand and never treated with artificial hormones or stimulants. The average herd size is just 12 cows great quality natural cheeses using old world traditions.
Old World Traditions Meet the Best Cheesemaking Offers Today
Kevin and Kim Everhart own Pasture Pride Cheese. Along with their family, they work in collaboration with small-herd Amish family farms to supply the highest quality milk. Kevin grew up working in, and living above, a small cheese factory in Rock Bridge, Wisconsin. Like his father, brother and now sons, cheese making is a way of life.
About the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
The United States Championship Cheese Contest is the largest technical evaluation of cheese, butter and yogurt in the country and is rooted in more than 120 years of history, beginning when the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association held its first cheese contest in 1891. In recent years, the event has flourished, more than doubling in size since 2001. This year, more than 33,000 pounds of dairy products were entered into the contest. For more information on the contest, as well as complete results for all 90 entry classes and contest photos, visit http://www.uschampioncheese.org.
Source: Pasture Pride