Grand Champion for the second year in a row!
St-Albert Grand Winner at the 87th British Empire Cheese Show!
The St-Albert Cheese Co-operative won the Grand Champion Cheddar Cheese 2014 title for the second year in a row at the 87th Annual British Empire Cheese Show, which took place in Belleville, Ontario in mid-November.
It was the extra mature cheddar (24 to 36 months of age) that took first prize among the best in the industry, giving the Coop the points it needed to sweep the top honours in the cheddars category.
“Winning the Grand Champion title is quite an achievement, but winning it two years in a row, WOW!” exclaimed St-Albert Cheese Coop General Manager Eric Lafontaine. “I have to mention the extraordinary devotion of our employees, who make our cheese with love, and based on a recipe developed by five generations of master cheese makers,” he added.
Despite the pressure from an industry that is increasingly leaning towards synthetic ingredients, artificial flavours and modified dairy products, the St-Albert Cheese Coop is sticking to its tradition of making cheddar from 100% pure milk. “This is one of the things that we do here at St-Albert, and it is part of our standards. The co-operative belongs to dairy producers, so we have no choice, which is just as well!” pointed out Mr. Lafontaine.
Today, the Coop is proud to share these honours with all of its clients, who know all about the great taste of St-Albert cheeses, and who stood by the Coop during while it was being rebuilt, despite all of the production challenges and limited inventories.
The British Empire Cheese Show
The British Empire Cheese Show is one of the most important events of its kind in Canada, and one of the oldest in the world. The competition is divided into several categories: 6 cheddar sections, 18 specialty cheese sections and two butter sections. For the 87th edition, the judges examined, tested and tasted more than 250 samples from across the country and even from overseas, before deciding on the final results.
For the full results of the competition, follow this link: http ://www.cocma.ca/2014_Cheddar%20Winners.pdf