Atalanta’s Partners Named Best in Class at The World Championship Cheese Contest

Elizabeth, NJ— Atalanta is proud to announce that several of its principal partners secured first place and Best in Class titles from the 34th biennial World Championship Cheese Contest, held March 1-3, 2022. Established in 1957, the World Championship Cheese Contest is the world’s premier technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition. This year, the panel of over fifty judges from around the globe included cheese graders, cheese buyers, dairy science professors, and researchers with more than 700 years of combined experience in the dairy industry.

Cheeses were evaluated on flavor, body, texture, salt, color, finish, and packaging and scored out of a maximum of 100 points. Atalanta’s international partners earned top marks, coming away with winning titles.

COLOMBIA:

Buffalo Milk Burrata, crafted by South American maker Deca & Otto won Best of Class. Beautifully balanced with a rich, creamy interior, this Buffalo Milk Burrata is made from the milk of free-roaming buffalo in the heart of Colombia. Believing that happy buffalo make the best milk, Deca & Otto graze their buffalo on large pastures in a year-round warm climate and milk them by hand, not a machine. You can taste the happiness in each bite.

NETHERLANDS:

Beemster took home two Best of Class wins. Beemster Royaal took first place in “Gouda, Mature (4-10 Months)” with 99.65 out of 100 points and was also awarded the Best of Class title. Beemster Royaal Grand Cru earned 99.875 out of 100 points in “Open Class: Hard Cheeses,” securing the top honor and Best of Class title. Beemster also took home the bronze award for Paradiso Reserve in the same category.

Both Beemster Royaal and Beemster Royaal Grand Cru secured spots in the World’s Top 20 Cheeses. Only 20 cheeses are selected for this honor out of nearly 3,000 entries in 141 classes.

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association hosts the World Championship Cheese Contest. This year’s competition was held in the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, with the winner announced over a live stream on their official Facebook page.