Dairy industry awards round-up
As there are so many different kinds of awards, it’s difficult to give each one an individual article, so we’re introducing this monthly summary. If your company has won an award, please send the details to us for possible inclusion.
Omega 3 yogurt award
The Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology Limited (AIFST) has given its 2017 AIFST Food Innovation Award to Tasmania’s Westhaven and Naturale Aust Pty Ltd.
The AIFST Food Innovation Award is awarded to a company or organization that has demonstrated a significant new development in a process, product, ingredient, equipment, or package which has achieved successful commercial application in the Australian food industry.
The award was in recognition of the development of functional health foods for consumers through the production of the world’s first omega-3 yogurt from cow’s milk.
The product also picked up the ‘reserve champion dairy’ award at the Royal Hobart Fine Foods awards.
Quicke’s lands four Great Taste awards
Four of Devon, UK cheesemaker Quicke’s clothbound cheeses have scooped stars at a global blind-tasted food awards.
Three of the new recipe cheeses achieved a 2-star Great Taste accolade.
They were Quicke’s Mature Clothbound Cheddar, Double Devonshire Clothbound Cheese, and Goats' Milk Clothbound Cheese.
Quicke’s Vintage Clothbound Cheddar achieved a 1-star Great Taste award, following 24 months in Home Farm’s maturing rooms.
Fonterra scoops top NZ coop award
Fonterra has been judged New Zealand’s top co-operative business of the year, and praised for a “stunning financial turnaround, generous social responsibility programmes and a high profile campaign proudly proclaiming its Kiwi farmer-owned, co-operative status.”
The honor comes from Cooperative Business New Zealand (CBNZ).
In making the award CBNZ CEO Craig Presland praised Fonterra’s financial turnaround over the past 12 to 18 months.
“With its 2016/17 payout forecast to be at least 50% up on the year before, this injects an additional NZ$3.6bn (US$2.6bn) into the NZ economy and will benefit many fellow co-operatives significantly.”
Cheese awards for Fonterra
Two Fonterra NZMP cheeses scooped silver awards at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich, UK.
The awards attracted a record 5,685 entries in categories that ranged from traditional farmhouse to speciality Scandinavian. Cheeses from the smallest boutiques to the largest cheese brands in the world vied for top honours in the awards, now in their 120th year of competition.
NZMP Vintage Cheddar claimed second place in the Vintage Cheddar Cheese Class (over 18 months), open to non-UK creameries.
NZMP Noble Cheddar, which features in Mainland Noble Cheese, won silver for Best in New Zealand Cheese Class.
International Cheese Awards win for Valio
Finnish dairy company Valio also picked awards at the same event.
Valio participated in the show for the first time. Valio’s spreadable butter won gold in the spreads category, while Valio Cheddar received a very high commendation from the jury – the only Cheddar made outside traditional Cheddar-producing countries to do so.
Valio spreadable butter – made from Finnish butter and rapeseed oil without additives – took gold in the spreads category, which included 15 participants from various countries. Valio’s unsalted butter won bronze in the unsalted butters category, which included 14 butters.
Valio Cheddar participated in the mild Cheddar category – it was the only Cheddar cheese made outside traditional Cheddar-producing countries, such as the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. The jury awarded it a Very High Commendation, a distinction awarded to one or two products in addition to medals in some competition categories.
Cricket St Thomas Creamery goat’s milk cheese picks up two awards
Lactalis McLelland’s Cricket St Thomas Creamery took two first prizes for its Capricorn Goat’s Milk Cheese brand at the South West Cheese Awards 2017.
Capricorn Goat’s Milk Cheese 1kg won Gold Awards in both the Best Goat’s Milk Cheese and the Best Speciality Soft Cheese classes at the South West Cheese Awards, which took place at the Mid-Somerset Show on August 20.
Lactalis McLelland products collected 38 awards at the International Cheese Awards; Product of the Year 2017 for the cheese category for Seriously Spreadable Vintage; and Best Scottish Cheese Award at the British Cheese Awards 2017 for Seriously Creamy Mature.
Wisconsin cheesemakers win 56 awards
Wisconsin cheesemakers, butter and yogurt makers, claimed 34 first place, 35 second place, and 49 third place ribbons at the American Cheese Society's (ACS) annual competition in Denver, Colorado. Out of 108 cheese awards, 56 went to certified Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers.
Wisconsin cheese and dairy companies “swept” nine categories.
Klondike Cheese Co. took home 14 awards, including first place ribbons for Odyssey Peppercorn Feta and Odyssey 2% Greek Yogurt. Maple Leaf Cheesemakers Inc. earned nine awards, with first place ribbons for Aged Brined Twin Grove Gouda, low-fat Cheddar, reduced-fat cured Gouda, and jalapeño jack.
Edelweiss Creamery won eight awards, including firsts in Edelweiss Emmentaler and “Tuscan Dream” semi-soft Italian-style cheese. Schuman Cheese received seven awards, with a first place ribbon in Cello Organic Copper Kettle Parmesan.
Shatto wins ‘best in show’ for its garlic butter
Shatto Milk Company received multiple awards at the 2017 Missouri State Fair Judging Contest this year, including “Best of Show” for its garlic butter. This comes less than a month after the product was awarded second place at the American Cheese Society’s Annual Competition in the category of flavored butters.
Shatto Milk Company also won five blue ribbons for other products including: Lily Aged cheddar cheese, Plattsburg Gouda, whole white milk, chocolate milk, and root beer milk.
Gold medal for Greek yogurt
New York-based Argyle Cheese Farmer won the gold medal for its plain Greek yogurt, the highest award in the category, at the New York State Fair.
Argyle Cheese Farmer products can be found at farmer’s markets in Troy and Saratoga Springs, New York, year-round and in various local retail stores including Healthy Living in Saratoga.
