Earning a score of 98.423 out of 100, Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP bested the 2,978 total entries in the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest. The cheese also earned the World Champion title in 2020 and 2008.
"What to say, we did it again," said Roland Sahli, chief executive officer, Gourmino AG, who accepted the award on behalf of the company and Spycher. "We are convinced by the quality of the gruyere and Michael Spycher's skills in cheese production. He is an experienced cheese master."
"Cheesemakers worldwide have always been deeply committed to excellence in their craft," said John Umhoefer, executive director for the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, which hosts the biennial competition. "That commitment is abundantly clear in the work of this year's winners. We congratulate them all on this outstanding achievement."
A total of 29 nations were represented in the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest. The United States led the pack with an impressive 94 Best in Class finishes. Cheesemakers from Switzerland took home 10 gold medals, while the Netherlands finished with seven.
Among the 33 US states represented in the Contest, Wisconsin cheesemakers excelled with 45 Best in Class titles. Next in line was New York with 12 first-place finishes, followed by Idaho with 11 gold medal winners. The World Championship Cheese Contest, initiated in 1957, is the largest technical cheese, butter, yogurt and dry ingredients competition in the world.
A team of 53 internationally renowned judges evaluated all entries over the three-day event held in Madison, Wisconsin. The top three finishers for each entry class were announced on Tuesday and Wednesday following preliminary judging rounds.
The Top 20 finalists, which were selected from the preliminary winners of all 141 classes included:
Class 4: Cheddar, Aged One to Two Years
Cheese Name: Aged Cheddar – One to Two Years
Maker: Kiel Production Team
Company: Land O Lakes, Inc.
Location: Kiel, Wisconsin, USA
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Class 31: Feta, Flavored
Cheese Name: Odyssey Peppercorn Feta
Maker: Steve Webster
Company: Klondike Cheese Co.
Location: Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
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Class 35: Gorgonzola
Cheese Name: BelGioioso CreamyGorg
Maker: Jeff Allen
Company: BelGioioso Cheese Inc.
Location: Denmark, Wisconsin, USA
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Class 38: Open Class: Cheeses with Blue Molding
Cheese Name: Red Rock
Maker: Team Roelli
Company: Roelli Cheese Co., Inc.
Location: Shullsburg, Wisconsin, USA
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Class 41: Gouda, Mature (4-10 months)
Cheese Name: Beemster Royaal
Maker: Lieke Kortekaas
Company: Beemster
Location: Westbeemster, Netherlands
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Class 42: Gouda, Extra Aged (over 10 months)
Cheese Name: Roemer Sweet
Maker: Team Van der Heiden Kaas
Company: Van der Heiden Kaas B.V.
Location: Bodegraven, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
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Class 44: Gouda, Smoked
Cheese Name: Castello Smoked Cracked Pepper Gouda
Maker: Dave Newman
Company: Arla Foods
Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA
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Class 52: Gruyere
Cheese Name: Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP
Maker: Michael Spycher, Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus
Company: Gourmino AG
Location: Langnau i.E., Bern, Switzerland
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Class 53: Appenzeller
Cheese Name: Appenzeller® Mild-Würzig
Maker: Hans Näf
Company: Käserei Niederbüren AG
Location: Niederbüren, Switzerland
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Class 57: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Semi-soft (Semi-hard), Aged Cheeses (over 4 months)
Cheese Name: Tête de Moine AOP
Maker: Fromages Spielhofer
Company: Fromages Spielhofer SA
Location: St-Imier, Bern, Switzerland
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Class 58: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses, Mature (less than 9 months)
Cheese Name: Erzherzog Johann
Maker: Pichler Othmar and Team
Company: Obersteirische Molkerei eGen
Location: Knittelfeld, Steiermark, Austria
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Class 59: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses, Extra Aged (over 9 months)
Cheese Name: Roth Grand Cru Surchoix
Maker: Team Emmi Roth - Monroe
Company: Emmi Roth
Location: Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
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Class 60: Wine/Spirits Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Cheeses
Cheese Name: Mont Vully Réserve
Maker: Käserei Schafer AG
Company: Käserei Schafer AG
Location: Cressier FR, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Class 68: Open Class: Semi-soft Cheeses
Cheese Name: Holland Master Cantenaar
Maker: Team Steenderen
Company: Royal FrieslandCampina
Location: Amersfoort, Netherlands
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Class 69: Open Class: Hard Cheeses
Cheese Name: Beemster Royaal Grand Cru
Maker: Team Beemster
Company: Beemster
Location: Westbeemster, Netherlands
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Class 73: Open Class: Semi-soft Cheeses, Flavored
Cheese Name: Point Reyes TomaTruffle
Maker: Kuba Hemmerling & Team
Company: Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company
Location: Petaluma, California, USA
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Class 77: Reduced Fat Soft & Semi-soft Cheeses
Cheese Name: Vermeer
Maker: Team Steenderen
Company: Royal FrieslandCampina
Location: Amersfoort, Netherlands
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Class 102: Hard Sheep’s Milk Cheeses, Extra Aged (over 6 months)
Cheese Name: Ocooch Reserve
Maker: Brenda Jensen
Company: Hidden Springs Creamery
Location: Westby, Wisconsin, USA
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Class 104: Surface (Mold) Ripened Sheep’s Milk Cheeses
Cheese Name: Los Cameros Cured Sheep Cheese
Maker: Lácteos Martínez S.L.U.
Company: Lácteos Martínez S.L.U.
Location: Haro, La Rioja, Spain
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Class 107: Soft & Semi-soft Mixed Milk Cheeses
Cheese Name: Nettle Meadow Kunik
Maker: Team Nettle Meadow
Company: Nettle Meadow
Location: Warrensburg, New York, USA
