Prairie Farms’ Cheese Divisions Caves of Faribault, Luana, and Shullsburg took home four awards, including a first place gold medal at the 36th Annual American Cheese Society’s Conference & Competition in Richmond, VA.
The gold medal win came in the Low Fat/Low Salt Cheeses All Milks Category with Neufchatel 3# produced by Prairie Farms’ Luana, Iowa team. Caves of Faribault earned a second place finish in the Blue Molded Cheeses – Blue Veined – Made from Cow’s Milk Category with their AmaBlu® Blue Cheese. Caves of Faribault also earned a third place finish in this category with their Felix® Blue Cheese. Prairie Farms’ Schullsburg, Wisconsin team earned a 3rd place finish in the American Made/International Style – Made from Cow’s Milk Category with their Baby Swiss Cheese wheel.
“Competition at this year’s ACS conference was greater than ever before, but our cheeses continue to win the judges votes,” said Chris Hoeger, President of Prairie Farm’s Cheese Division. “Our dedicated teams of cheesemakers love what they do and it shows in the quality of our products.”
Artisan cheeses continue to experience growth and popularity in the cheese category thanks to consumers who prefer the best cheeses to pair with wine and craft beer that are also growing in popularity. Nearly 2000 cheeses and cultured dairy products from over 260 companies in 35 U.S. States, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil were represented at this year’s show.
Caves of Faribault has competed at ACS since 2001 – winning a variety of awards over the years. In 2016, Jeffs’ Select® Gouda took first place in the American-Made/International Style (Dutch Style – All Milks) category. In 2018, Prairie Farms’ Cheese Divisions took home five awards at the ACS competition including a gold medal with Caves of Faribault AmaGorg® blue cheese. Other recent wins by Caves of Faribault include second and third place finishes with Jeffs’ Select® and St. Pete’s Select® cheeses at the United States Championship Cheese Contest.
For over 80 years, consumers have come to rely on the consistent quality of Prairie Farms’ dairy products and cheeses. To view a full list of Caves of Faribault cheeses, please visit: cavesoffaribault.com.
Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful dairy cooperatives in the Midwest, with over 800 farm families,6000 employees, 44 manufacturing plants, over 100 distribution facilities and annual sales of over $3 billion. Prairie Farms is a nationally recognized leader in the dairy industry and is 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, food service outlets and warehouse distribution centers. Prairie Farms charitable giving program, Our Caps, Your Cause, supports a variety of non-profit organizations. Prairiefarms.com
