South Woodstock, VT – In their first cheese competition, one month after the start of retail distribution, Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company was awarded three gold medals, one for each cheese submitted. The North American Jersey Cheese Awards were held during the Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National AllJersey Inc. in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin on June 21, 2011. Judges included the cofounder of Culture Magazine, an internationally known cheese monger, Wisconsin cheesemaker and experienced ACS cheese judges.
Gold was awarded to the following VFC cheeses:
- – “Lillé” a farmstead Coulommiers style 2.8 pound soft ripened cheese
- – “Lil’ Lillé” (Petit Lillé) a 1 pound farmstead version of Lillé
- – “Norma Jean” A farmstead version of a traditional 4 plus pound Brie
Cheesemakers Rick Woods and Tom Gilbert were excited that some of their first allJersey cheeses were such a hit with the judges. “Tom brought with him a lot of soft cheese expertise so hats go off to him,” said Head Cheesemaker Rick Woods. According to Tom, “It’s always fun working with Jersey milk…the high quality of the milk enhances cheese flavors. The texture of these cheeses really lends itself to the higher fat, almost getting into the double and probably approaching triple crème by the time we were done.”
Although their herd is a mix of Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey and Brown Swiss, Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company only used milk from their Jersey cows for this special make. According to Rick, “That’s the benefit of being a farmstead cheese producer, we can craft our milk at will for the best result in the cheese room.”
Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company expects this to be just the first of many awards now that they have entered the marketplace. “We’ve received amazing feedback from distributors, retailers and customers already on many of our cheeses. We’re confident these 3 gold medals are the start of a trend,” said Peter Mohn, VP of Sales for VFCC.
About Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company
The Vermont Farmstead Cheese Co. is the first community owned artisanal cheese and dairy facility in Vermont. The company was conceived and founded as a community based effort to preserve the rural way of life in South Woodstock. Please follow the Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company on Facebook and at www.vermontfarmstead.com. For more information, please call 802-457-9992 ext.13 or email sharon@vermontfarmstead.com
Source: Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company