Two Local Cheese Makers Win Big
at World Cheese Competition

The Thorp Courier (Thorp, WI)
March 31, 2010
Transcribed by Dolores Mohr Kenyon

While the Europeans were crowned the “big cheeses” at the World Champion Cheese Contest in Madison this past week, two local cheese makers have made the world stand up and take notice of their cheesemaking capabilities.  Holland’s Family Cheese of Thorp and LaGrander’s Hillside Dairy, Inc. of Stanley both walked away with multiple medals in their specialty categories.
 
Judged against some of the biggest and most famous cheese makers from 20 countries and a total of over 2,300 entries, these two local cheese makers were still able to stand out from the crowd.
 
Holland’s Family Cheese, located southeast of Thorp earned four medals, including a Best of Class finish in the Flavored Gouda category with the Burning Mélange Gouda.  Marieke Penterman entered a total of five of her trademark flavors in this particular category, including the Italian herb, Foenegreek, onion garlic, and pesto basil.
 
In the Flavored Cheese with Sweet or Dessert Condiment category, Holland’s Family Cheese walked away with a second place win with their honey clover Gouda, earning a score of 99.25, missing first place by a mere .05.
 
Marieke’s award-winning Gouda also won fourth place with her Marieke smoked Gouda in the Smoked Cheeses category and fifth place in the Aged Gouda Category. With a total of 13 entries, Holland’s Family Cheese went home with a total of four medals, beating out over 70 entries in some of the categories.
 
LaGrander’s Hillside Dairy, Inc. also caught the attention of the 30 judges in multiple categories, winning two medals, including a second place finish in the Pepper-Flavored “American Style Cheese with Dan LaGrander’s Monterey Jack with jalapeno peppers.  The Hillside Dairy also took home a fourth place finish in the Colby category, submitted by R & J Brothers of LaGrander’s Hillside Dairy, Inc.  Many of LaGrander’s entries placed near the top of many of their categories, including the Monterey Jack and the Marbled Curd Cheese categories.

Congratulations to the local cheese makers for this accomplishment!