MILWAUKEE – CheeseExpo’s championship cheese auction raised a record $423,480 this year. The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) shared that the fundraising event on April 17 beat the show’s previous record by more than $80,000.
Industry professionals attending the dairy processing technology conference placed bids on award-winning cheeses and other dairy products from the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest.
“The auction showcases the dairy processing industry’s tremendous support for the next generation – and 2024 was another resounding success,” said WCMA executive director John Umhoefer. “We’re deeply grateful to all of our bidders for their enthusiastic participation.”
WCMA said the money raised at the auction supports scholarships and its industry training programs, as well as annual championship cheese contests and university dairy training centers.
The 2024 auction offered up 93 gold medal cheeses, butters and yogurts from this year’s World Championship Cheese Contest, organized into 42 lots.
The following companies brought home award-winning cheeses and dairy products:
• Custom Fabricating & Repair
• D.R. Tech, Inc.
• Ivarson
• Milk Specialties Global
• Masters Gallery Foods
• Mohawk Technology
• Nelson-Jameson
• T.C. Jacoby
• dsm-firmenich
• Kelley Supply
• Hydrite
• Emmi Roth
• TC Transcontinental Packaging
• Novonesis
• Loos Machine & Automation
• Advanced Process Technologies, Inc.
• ALPMA USA
• Dahmes Stainless Inc.
• Great Lakes Cheese
• Pine River Pre-Pack
• ProActive Solutions USA
• G & R Foods, Inc.
• Complete Filtration Resources
• Dairy Connection
• Wabash
• FSNS
• Darlington Dairy Supply
• Wisconsin Aging & Grading Cheese, Inc.
• Cybertrol Engineering
WCMA said auction dollars have supported its Mike Dean and Cheese Industry Supplier Student Scholarships for more than 25 years. Funds also helped build the Center for Dairy Research facility in Madison, Wis., and dairy pilot plants at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and South Dakota State University.
