Vermont Business Magazine Agri-Mark’s Cabot Extra Sharp Vermont Cheddar earned the Chairman’s Award and the title of Best Cheddar at the National Milk Producers Federation’s (NMPF) Annual Cheese Contest held last month in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Co-operative earned an additional 13 awards, sweeping the Extra Sharp Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, and the Natural Cheese Snack categories.
“These remarkable results are a testament to the craftsmanship and quality of our fabulous Cabot and McCadam cheeses,” exclaimed Bill Beaton, Agri-Mark’s CEO. “After such a challenging year, these awards make the collective hard work of our employees and farmers all that more meaningful. And they’re an inspiration for us to stay focused, to continue to raise the bar and produce the finest cheese possible.”
All three of Agri-Mark’s cheese production facilities (Cabot, Vermont, Chateaugay, New York, and Middlebury, Vermont) plus its Cut & Wrap team had winning entries in the contest. In addition to the competition’s highest recognition, Agri-Mark received the following awards
Extra Sharp Cheddar Category:
- First Place - Extra Sharp Vermont Cheddar, Team Middlebury **Chairman’s Award & Best Cheddar**
- Second Place - Extra Sharp New York Cheddar, Team Chateaugay
- Third Place - Extra Sharp Vermont Cheddar, Team Cabot
Sharp Cheddar Category:
- First Place - Sharp Vermont Cheddar 2, Team Cabot
- Second Place - Sharp New York Cheddar, Team Chateaugay
- Third Place - Sharp New York Cheddar 2, Team Chateaugay
Medium Cheddar Category:
- Third Place - Medium Vermont Cheddar, Team Cabot
Mild Cheddar Category:
- Second Place - Mild New York Cheddar, Team Chateaugay
- Third Place - Mild Vermont Cheddar, Team Cabot
Unique or Mild Flavor Category:
- First Place - Cracked Peppercorn, Team Cabot
Natural Cheese Snack Category:
- First Place - Seriously Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cracker Cuts, Team Cut & Wrap
- Second Place - Sharp Vermont Cheddar Cracker Cut, Team Cut & Wrap
- Third Place - Colby Jack Cracker Cut, Team Cut & Wrap
Agri-Mark also brought home three International Cheese and Dairy Awards in November. The Co-operative’s Cabot Mild Cheddar won Gold, their indulgent Chocolate Mousse Triple Cream Yogurt won a bronze award, and their Cabot Clothbound, aged in the Cellars at Jasper Hill, also took a bronze award. The Cabot Chocolate Mousse Triple Cream Yogurt was the highest scoring yogurt from the United States.
“There’s a tremendous sense of satisfaction and joy in receiving awards like these, especially at the national and international levels of competition. These awards reflect the hard work, dedication and devotion that our farmers and employees put into creating best-in-class cheeses and dairy products,” said Beaton.
Agri-Mark, the premier dairy cooperative in the Northeast, markets more than 370 million gallons of farm fresh milk each year for more than 700 dairy farm families in New England and New York. The cooperative has been marketing milk for dairy farmers since 1916 and has headquarters in Andover, Massachusetts and Waitsfield, Vermont. Agri-Mark farmers own the award-winning Cabot brand of Vermont Cheddar, butter and other dairy products in addition to the McCadam brand of New York Cheddar, Pepper Jack and other cheeses. Agri-Mark has also invested in operations to manufacture and market valuable whey proteins globally while also marketing fresh fluid milk from its local farm families to the region's largest dairy processors. For more information about Agri-Mark, visit our web site at www.agrimark.coop.
Source: Waitsfield, VT (December 20, 2021) Cabot. Photo courtesy Cabot.