Each year, the American Cheese Society (ACS) hosts the foremost educational conference and world-renowned cheese competition in North America. More than 1,300 cheese professionals, purchasers, and influencers from throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe attend to network, sample products, and learn from one another. The Annual ACS Judging & Competition is held in conjunction with the ACS Conference, recognizing cheeses and cultured dairy products of the highest quality for their aesthetic and technical merits.

This year was the 36th Annual ACS Conference & Competition with 35 states and 257 companies represented from across the nation. Indiana made a name for itself at this year’s competition held in Richmond, Virginia, by securing top spots from four different Hoosier cheesemakers among the nearly 2,000 entries!

And the winners are…

Caprini Creamery

Award-winning feta

Caprini Creamery took the top spot in the goat milk feta category. They make small batch, hand crafted cheese using goat milk exclusively from their own herd of Nigerian Dwarf and Oberhasli goats. Their block-style feta is made with whole milk giving it a rich, creamy mouthfeel and is modestly salted to allow the flavors of the milk to shine through in the cheese. You can find their cheeses online, at select retailers and at farmers markets. Click here for a full list of locations!

Tulip Tree Creamery

Dutchman’s Breeches cheese

The Dutchman’s Breeches cheese from Tulip Tree Creamery received the third place ribbon in the External Blue category. Dutchman’s Breeches is a double cream, mold-ripened cheese which is made with a special blend of whole milk and cream and covered with a mixture of white and blue molds – it’s ugly but has a unique flavor and a velvety texture.  As a result, this cheese goes great with berry preserves, crusty bread and a glass of sparkling wine.  They make this cheese quarterly and the next batch will be ready soon in the first week of December. You’ll find Tulip Tree cheeses at a variety of retailers and farmers markets as well as online. Find a location near you by clicking here!

Jacobs and Brichford Farmstead Cheese

Jacobs and Brichford Farmstead Cheese has been making cheese since 2012. Everton was inspired by a French Beaufort, a cheese the owner loves and wanted to try to make. Because they use their own milk, from their grass, the flavor isn’t the same, but it is their attempt at making his favorite cheese! It was one of the first 3 cheeses they made with them now making 9 varieties.

Jacobs and Brichford cheese

Jacobs and Brichford pride themselves on being 100% grass fed and use raw, not pasteurized milk in all their cheeses . They are a small farmstead cheese producer in Southeast Indiana, on a family farm that has been in the family for over 200 years. Everton has done well in contests, Winning a Good Food award in 2014, Bronze in its category at the World Cheese Contest in 2015, 2nd in its category in the United States Cheese contest (held in Wisconsin) in 2017, 2nd in the farmstead category at the American Cheese Society’s annual contest in 2018 and 3rd this year at ACS’s annual contest, same category. Buy Jacobs and Brichford cheeses online on their website here!

Capriole Cheese

Capriole’s Mont St. Francis

Capriole Cheese won second place with their Mont St. Francis cheese in the 2019 ACS washed rind cheese made from goat milk category. This is the latest of many awards for this cheese over the last 25 years. Capriole has been an ACS member since 1988. Their most memorable ACS award was in 1995, a Best of Show for our Wabash Cannonball. Their farm is located in the beautiful hills of Southern Indiana and their cheese can be found nationwide! Click here for a product locator to find their cheese nearest you!

The 2020 American Cheese Society Conference and Championships are scheduled for July 22-25, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Check out the full list of winners from this year’s competition here!