Grafton, Vt. — Grafton Village Cheese, a business of the nonprofit Windham Foundation in Grafton, Vt, was awarded the Best in Show Second Place for Bear Hill and additional ribbons for its cheeses at the 30th annual American Cheese Society Awards last week in Madison, Wisconsin. Grafton Village Cheese produces handmade aged cheddar and specialty cheese, with the proceeds supporting the charitable efforts of the Windham Foundation.
ACS Awards for Grafton Cheese
Grafton Village took home the following:
- Second place for Vermont Clothbound Cheddar in the Cheddar Wrapped in Cloth (up to 12 months) category;
- First place for Eweden Apple Pie in the Marinated Sheep’s Milk Cheese category;
- First place for Bear Hill in the Open Sheep’s Milk Washed Rind Cheeses category.
- Bear Hill went on to take Best in Show Second Place at ACS. Overall Best in Show went to fellow-Vermont company Cellars at Jasper Hill for its Winnimere and third went to Bleu Mont Dairy of Wisconsin in a tie for its Bandaged Cheddar and Big Sky Grana.
The American Cheese Society is a not-for-profit trade organization founded in 1983 to support the North American artisan and specialty cheese industry. ACS provides advocacy, education, business development, and networking opportunities for members of the cheese industry, while striving to continually raise the quality and availability of cheese in North America.
This year’s ACS Judging and Competition, which was announced on Friday, August 2, was its largest ever, with 257 companies submitting 1,794 different products.
About the ACS Winning Cheeses for Grafton
Bear Hill, named for the bluff overlooking Grafton Village, is a washed-rind alpine style cheese, made with 100% sheep milk. Its flavor is gently fruity and nutty, with a smooth, milky mouthfeel. Vermont Clothbound Cheddar, is a classic milled curd cow’s milk cheddar wrapped in cheesecloth while it ages slowly in Grafton’s own aging caves for a minimum six months. Grafton Clothbound delivers a very bold cheese with both nut and mushroom notes. Eweden Apple Pie is a sheep and cow original cheese, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg, then marinated in Eden Ice Cider (West Charleston, Vt.). This smooth and creamy cheese has a pleasing dairy tang and aromatic spicing.
Additional Awards for Grafton
Separately, at the end of July, Grafton Village took home seven awards at the 116th Annual International Cheese Show in England. The competition featured 27 countries with a total of 4,286 entries. Among Grafton’s awards was the National Sheep Association Trophy for Bear Hill, designating it as one of the world’s best sheep’s milk cheeses. Additional awards included: Gold for Bear Hill and Truffled Bismark; Silver for Bismark and Leyden; and, Bronze for Shepsog. Grafton’s 4-Year Aged Cheddar also received a Very Highly Commended award.
Grafton Village’s Cave Aged Line was developed in 2010, taking Grafton beyond its roots in Vermont Cheddar cheese. These limited-edition, seasonal creations, created by Grafton’s Cheese Artisan Dane Huebner and his team of cheesemakers, are carefully matured in Grafton's cave aging facility in the heart of Grafton Village. These small-batch cheeses include cow's milk, sheep's milk and mixed milk cheeses. The line is primarily found in specialty cheese shops.
Vermont Clothbound Cheddar is currently available for sale in Grafton Village Cheese’s two retail stores in Grafton and Brattleboro, Vermont, as well as in specialty cheese shops. Eweden Apple Pie and Bear Hill will be available this Fall.
For more information about Grafton Village Cheese visit graftonvillagecheese.com or call 800-GRAFTON.
About Grafton Village Cheese
Grafton Village Cheese, located in Grafton, Vermont, handcrafts artisanal aged cheddar and specialty cheese. The company was founded in 1892 as the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company, which converted surplus milk from local dairy farmers into cheese. Years later, a fire destroyed the original factory. When the Windham Foundation restored the company in the mid 1960s, a new era for the town was born. Today, quality, taste and supporting local dairy farmers, continue to serve as the hallmarks of Grafton Cheese. As part of the nonprofit Windham Foundation, much of Grafton Cheese’s annual earned income funds the Foundation’s charitable programs. More information on Grafton Village Cheese Company can be found online at graftonvillagecheese.com.
About the Windham Foundation
Headquartered in Grafton, Vermont, the Windham Foundation is an operating foundation engaged in philanthropic, charitable and educational activities. Since its inception in 1963, its mission is to promote the vitality of Grafton and Vermont’s rural communities through its philanthropic and educational programs and its subsidiaries whose operations contribute to these endeavors. The Foundation is the owner of Grafton Village Cheese Co., the Grafton Inn and the Retreat Farm.
Source: Grafton Village Cheese