World Championship Cheese Contest draws entries from 25 countries

MADISON — The world's biggest cheese contest will be bigger this year, with more than 3,000 entries from around the world.

The 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest is scheduled for March 5 to 7 at Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center in Madison. The world championship is held every other year in Madison, while the U.S. championship is held on alternating years in Green Bay.

The world championship is the largest technical dairy products evaluation in the world, according to host Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. This year, 3,302 entries will vie for honors in cheese, butter, yogurt and dairy ingredient categories. The 2022 contest had 2,978 entries. The record number of entries was 3,667 for the 2020 contest.

Entries were submitted by dairy manufacturers from 25 countries and 32 American states, including, of course, Wisconsin.

"It's a truly global competition, with the best makers entering their best products, so a win at our contest means the world," said contest director Kirsten Strohmenger.

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Of interest to the general public, the first two days of the judging, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., March 5 and 6, will be open and free to attend, and free samples of past champion cheeses are available. Judges from around the world will evaluate entries based on flavor, body, texture, salt, color, finish and packaging. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be award to the three highest-scoring entries in 142 categories.

Gold medal winners will be re-evaluated on March 7 by all of the judges to determine a single world champion. The 2022 champion was the Gourmino Le Gruyère from Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus in Bern, Switzerland. It was the third time the cheese had taken the top honor at the contest, also having won in 2020 and 2008. 

Wisconsin cheesemakers provided seven of the 20 finalists and won 45 best-of-class categories.

Two new categories this year include raclette and pasteurized process cheese product. Raclette is typically melted using a special heater and served as part of a dish by the same name. With origins in the Swiss Alps, raclette has gained ground in recent years among cheese lovers across the globe, the Cheese Makers said.

"The World Championship Cheese Contest is always evolving, thanks to the leadership of our dedicated contest committee. These new classes reflect the ever-changing trends and innovations of the dairy processing industry,” Strohmenger said.

The Cheese Maker Association said winning at the contest helps companies drive sales, and also provides impartial technical feedback from judges.

Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG.