Hoard’s heritage brings high honors

Here at the Hoard’s Dairyman headquarters in Wisconsin, we’re surrounded by history: volumes of our magazine going back to the 1800s, libraries of vintage books, and of course, memorabilia galore. But among all the items that have the patina of age, sometimes there’s shiny new bling, and it’s often courtesy of Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery cheese. We’ve just added three new medals to our cheese awards display from the American Cheese Society (ACS) judging and competition, an event that includes more than 1,500 cheeses and cultured dairy products in 123 categories.

Our Governor’s Select Cheddar took second place in the Aged Cheddar (aged 13 to 23 months, all milks). Made with milk from descendants of our founder W.D. Hoard’s original Guernsey herd, this Cheddar has a naturally golden color and exhibits a creaminess that complements the sharpness we cultivate by careful aging.

Mexican-Style Manchego garnered Hoard’s a third-place medal in the Hispanic and Portugueses Style Cheeses category. It’s a semi-firm cheese that takes inspiration from Spain’s sheep-milk cheese; the Mexican-style uses cows’ milk and offers a complex flavor profile: buttery, nutty, and an addictive combo of tart and sweet.

We also took home an American Made/International Style third-place medal for our version of Butterkäse, Sark. Butterkäse is a mildly flavored cheese, so quality ingredients make all the difference, and Hoard’s rich Guernsey milk takes the “butter” in Butterkäse to the next level due to its higher milkfat content.

The ACS competition is blind, with food-professional judges selected for their expertise, ethics, and reliability. Each entry is evaluated for flavor, aroma, texture, and appearance.