Jasper Hill Farm in Winner’s Circle at the U.S. Cheese Championship with Top 20 accolades for Whitney, and Best in Class honors for Harbison and Willoughby.
Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Cheese Championship, a biennial contest held this year in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, deployed a professional panel of judges to evaluate over 2,249 entries. A first, second, and third place cheese or dairy product was named for each of the 113 entry categories. The 20 highest scoring cheeses were then evaluated for a final round of judging.
Whitney, Jasper Hill Farm’s top scoring entry, is the American Cheese Society’s current Best in Show Champion. It is a raw milk, semi-firm cheese made with natural cultures from the Farm’s own herd of cows. Whitney has a velvet-smooth, supple texture, rosy-orange hued washed rind, and notes of butter and toasted nuts. Whitney’s recipe is based on classic European Mountain style cheeses designed for melting, and as such, it took first in the Raclette-style category at both the ACS and USCC Competitions.
Whitney and Alpha Tolman--a similar cheese that is a bit firmer and longer aged--have both been highly ranked in national and international competitions since the recent renovation of Jasper Hill Farm’s original creamery. The upgraded facility features a pair of copper-lined cheese vats and associated equipment that were salvaged from a French Comté cheese plant.
Whitney’s Top 20 finish was bolstered by several other awards for the Jasper Hill Farm collection. Harbison and Sherry Gray took first and third place in the soft-ripened bloomy rind category. Willoughby and Greensward--a collaboration with Murray’s Cheese--took first and second in the soft, washed-rind class. Bayley Hazen Blue and Alpha Tolman were runners-up in their respective classes. Other cheeses from the collection also scored highly—Oma and Winnimere placed fourth in their classes while Moses Sleeper scored 99/100 in a particularly competitive category. Overall, this was the strongest showing for Jasper Hill Farm in the USCC, demonstrating a mastery of skill across a range of cheese styles.
Jasper Hill Farm, which celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year, is known for its collection of award-winning, cave-aged, artisan cheese. A ‘grass to plate’ approach allows the small family of business to manage excellence at every step of the process. The tight-knit team practices regenerative land management to feed their carefully managed cow and goat herds. Raw milk is transformed within two small creameries that use a blend of modern technology and traditional methods to reveal place-based character. A set of subterranean vaults are used to cultivate natural rinds and aromatic complexity during cheese ripening. This commitment to radical deliciousness has positioned Jasper Hill Farm as the industry leader of quality and innovation.
More information can be found on Jasper Hill Farm’s website.
Co-founders of Jasper Hill Farm, Andy & Mateo Kehler, with their copper cheese vats.
GREENSBORO, VERMONT, USA, February 27, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Jasper Hill Farm