Beecher's Handmade Cheese Takes Home Three Awards at the American Cheese Society's Annual Competition

On Monday, July 17, twenty-six judges gathered in Portland, Oregon to prepare for the American Cheese Society's 23rd Annual Competition. Their job: to grade the over 940 American artisan cheeses entered into this year's competition, a 20% increase over last year's number of entries. All told, over 150 producers from 28 states and two Canadian provinces participated in the event.

Comparing both aesthetic and technical qualities, the judges culled the competition down, identifying the best of the best in each category. When all were tasted and rated, Beecher's Handmade Cheese came out on top with two 2nd place awards and one 3rd place award.

“At Beecher’s, all our cheese is made by hand according to traditional methods and nothing goes out to the public unless it meets with our approval. It’s hard work, but it’s fun! And to love what you do – and be recognized by your peers for doing it well – is very exciting,” said cheesemaker Brad Sinko.

The Annual Competition is part of the American Cheese Society's Annual Conference, a gathering of the country's top cheesemakers, distributors, and enthusiasts. The conference highlight, the Festival of Cheese, gives the public an opportunity to not only try all of the cheeses entered, but to mix and mingle with the cheesemakers themselves.

For more information about the conference, competition, and judging, visit www.cheesesociety.org.

For a listing of all awards won by Beecher's Handmade Cheese, visit our Awards page.

Beecher's Flagship Two-Year
2nd Place

Limited availability. In years long past, it was traditional for small artisan cheese producers to craft a special line of very old cheese. Customers eagerly awaited the chance to buy 2-, 5-, or 7-year cheese. In keeping with tradition, we've created our Two-Year Flagship cheese, and, just like its' predecessors, it delivers a highly sought after intense, more robust flavor.

Beecher's Flagship Reserve
3rd Place

Early 2007 Release - limited availability. Our Flagship Reserve is made up of a collection of single-herd seasonal cheeses. The milk used to craft each cheese has a distinctive flavor, resulting from the farm where each dairies' cows were raised and what they were fed - known as the "terroir" of the cheese. Aged using the traditional cloth-bound method, this natural rind cheese is drier and firmer than our one-year aged Flagship.

Beecher's No Woman
3rd Place

Adding Jamaican Jerk spices creates a cheese with a warm, nutty, spicy flavor. It's smoky and earthy with a touch of brown sugar and cloves. No Woman's flavor is distinctive and satisfying.