MADISON, WIS. – Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin highlighted the achievements of the state’s cheesemakers at the 2022 World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest, where producers from the state known as America’s Dairyland won 84 awards in total.

"Thanks to this state's great dairy heritage and more than 180 years of cheesemaking, Wisconsin continually achieves high honors for dairy products, showcasing traditional methods mixed with new innovations," said Suzanne Fanning, chief marketing officer for Wisconsin Cheese and senior vice president of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

The cheese and butter grand champion of this year’s competition, Schuman Cheese’s Cello Mascarpone, was made at Schuman’s Lake Country Dairy, in Turtle Lake, Wis. That was just one of 29 first-place products that originated from Wisconsin. Cheese and dairy companies in the state also secured 29 second-place medals, as well as 25 third-place finishes.

Four companies in Wisconsin – Schuman, Foremost Farms USA, Kemps LLC and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company – earned six or more awards, and 32 companies from the Badger State won at least one award.

This first, second and third place winners in each category can be found online at the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association website. 

First-place cheeses from Wisconsin included:

• Alpinage Cheese LLC - washed rind, semi-hard alpine style raclette

• Crave Brothers Farmstead - cheddar curds and marinated fresh mozzarella

• Foremost Farms - smoked provolone

• Kingston Creamery - smoked blue

• LaClare Creamery - Chandoka

• Lactalis - Feta

• Land O Lakes - sharp cheddar

• Masters Gallery Foods - shredded parmesan

• Pine River Pre-Pack - Swiss and Almond Cold Pack

• Prairie Farms Dairy - White Hill Cheese - baby Swiss wheel

• Ron's Wisconsin Cheese - mozzarella string

• Saxon Creamery - Snowfields

• Schuman Cheese - Cello Artisan Copper Kettle parmesan wheel, Cello smoky pepper fontina and Cello mascarpone

Judging for this year’s contest took place from Aug. 23-25 at MATC Culinary Arts School in Madison, Wis. Organizers for the event said there was a record number of total entries (1,560), including cheese, butter, fluid milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, sour cream, sherbet, cultured milk, sour cream dips, whipping cream, whey and creative/innovative products from North American dairy processors.