Two Michigan Cheesemakers Earn Top Honors at World Cheese Awards

Did you know some of the best cheese in the world comes from Michigan?

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Two Michigan cheesemakers won big at a global event that's basically the Olympics of Cheese!

The 2023 World Cheese Awards took place in Trondheim, Norway in October. Hosted annually by the Guild of Fine Food, the World Cheese Awards is the world’s largest cheese-only competition.

This year's competition included 4,502 cheeses from 43 countries, delivered by boat, truck, train, and plane to the contest location.

Cheeses are judged in a single day by carefully assembled teams of technical experts, buyers, retailers, and food writers from every corner of the global cheese community.

Which Michigan cheesemakers took home top honors at the competition?

Leelanau Cheese Co. in Suttons Bay won Super Gold (the highest ranking in the competition!) for its Leelanau Raclette.

It's a traditional herdsman's cheese, handmade in Leelanau County with local milk. The Leelanau Raclette was one of only 100 cheeses to earn the Super Gold designation at this year’s competition.

The cheesemaker also won gold for its Leelanau Reserve.

Josh Hall, managing partner and cheesemaker, said in a release,

As a cheesemaker, you are always looking for objective measures of quality. It’s validating when the effort, time, and energy put into the product we love is also recognized internationally.

Idyll Farms in Northport received silver awards for three hand-crafted goat cheeses – Idyll Pastures, Idyll Pastures Fennel Pollen, and Spreadable Idyll Pastures.

The cheesemaker also won a bronze award for Idyll Pastures with Garlic and Herb.

Owner of Idyll Farms, Amy Spitznagel, said,

We are delighted to have won four more awards at this year’s World Cheese Awards for our fresh, Idyll Pastures line. Throughout the decade of producing cheese, we have proven ourselves to be competitive on an international scale. We pride ourselves on making the healthiest and tastiest G.O.A.T. cheese while improving the planet by using regenerative farming practices.

Way to go to these Michigan cheesemakers!