Portland, Ore. – August 7, 2019 – Oregon artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheesemakers took home blue ribbons in three categories and By George Farm (Applegate Valley) scored three medals in their first appearance at the American Cheese Society’s (ACS) 2019 Annual Cheese Competition.
The awards were announced August 2nd at the ACS’s 36th Annual Conference held in Richmond, VA. A new product for Don Froylan Creamery (Ochoa’s Queseria, Albany), “Liliana’s Cheese Ball” nabbed first in the Fresh Mozzarella category. Also landing first place medals were Tillamook County Creamery Association’s Monterey Jack in American Originals and Face Rock Creamery’s Peppercorn Harvest Clothbound Cheddar in the Flavored Cheddar category, where Oregon cheeses also took 2nd (Rogue Creamery’s Organic Rogue’s Mary ) and 3rd place honors. See full list of 14 Oregon winning cheeses below.
There were 1,742 entries representing 257 creameries from North and South America in this year’s competition, the nation’s largest. The Oregon Cheese Guild is thrilled to announce that the annual ACS competition, conference, and public-facing Festival of Cheese, will be coming to Portland in July 2020! This represents an enormous opportunity for Oregon producers to showcase their wares to specialty food buyers from around the world, and for local cheese lovers to taste an unequaled array of styles and flavors.
The public will be able to taste this year’s winners from Oregon at Portland’s celebration of cheese and all things that go with it, The Wedge, October 5 at Alder Block. Other opportunities to taste competition winners and other delicious Oregon cheeses are at our retail partners statewide during Oregon Cheese Month in September, the Oregon Cheese Festival March 14 & 15 in Central Point, and at creameries around the state on the Oregon Cheese & Food Trail.
2019 American Cheese Competition Awards
Oregon Winners by Category & Subcategory
Cheddars – aged through 12 months
2nd Face Rock Creamery, Aged Cheddar
Cheddars – aged 24-47 months
2nd Rogue Creamery, Mount Mazama Cheese
3rd Tillamook County Creamery Association, Extra Sharp Cheddar
Soft Ripened Cheeses – Camembert, cow’s milk
3rd By George Farm, Buncom in Bloom
Hispanic & Portuguese Style Cheeses – melting cheeses
3rd Ochoa’s Queseria (Don Froylan), Queso Oaxaca
Italian Type Cheeses – Fresh Mozzarella – 8 oz. or More (Balls or Shapes)
1st Ochoa’s Queseria (Don Froylan), Liliana’s Cheese Ball
American Originals – Monterey Jack, cow’s milk
1st Tillamook County Creamery Association, Monterey Jack
Flavored – fresh unripened
2nd By George Farm, Honey & Sea Salt Fromage Blanc
Flavored – Cheddar
1st Face Rock Creamery, Peppercorn Harvest Clothbound
2nd Rogue Creamery, Organic Rogue’s Mary
3rd Face Rock Creamery, In Your Face Spicy 3 Pepper
Smoked Cheeses – cheddars
3rd Tillamook County Creamery Association, Smoked Medium Cheddar
Smoked Cheeses – open category, cow’s milk
2nd Rogue Creamery, Organic Smokey Blue Cheese
Farmstead Cheeses – aged 60 days or more, 39% or higher moisture
3rd By George Farm, Dutchman’s Peak
Founded in 2006, the Oregon Cheese Guild is dedicated to the art and craft of making cheese. The Guild is a collaborative effort to increase awareness of Oregon’s artisanal cheeses, create educational opportunities, and provide a platform for cooperation and shared resources among Oregon cheesemakers.