Our Cheddar Earns Blue at American Cheese Society

At the annual American Cheese Society Judging & Competition in Sacramento, California in late July, our one-year farmstead cheddar took home a blue ribbon, or "Best in Class" for one-year cheddar!  Like all our cheddars, one-year is made right here on the farm from the milk of our Brown Swiss cows. 

“This award is a huge honor and it represents all the hard work that our teams put into making this delicious cheese,” says Perry Willett, Shelburne Farms head cheesemaker. “The credit goes to both the dairy staff, who care for our beautiful cows and pastures, and to my team who skillfully craft that raw milk into an aged farmstead cheddar.”  The dairy is Certified Humane and the cheese is Non-GMO Verified. 

It was a great year for Vermont cheese at the ACS conference. In all, nine Vermont cheesemakers were awarded 49 ribbons. “Shelburne Farms is really proud to be part of a tremendous and talented community of cheesemakers in this ‘brave little state’,” says Tom Perry, our Cheese Sales Manager who attended the conference. The community is united and supported by the Vermont Cheese Council, and this year, we'll be hosting their sold-out Vermont Cheesemaker's Festival on Sunday, August 10. 

The ACS Judging & Competition is the largest competition of its kind and is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious competitions in North America for cultured dairy products. The 2025 judging panel evaluated hundreds of entries based on flavor, texture, aroma, and overall quality. Each year, the competition takes place in conjunction with the ACS Annual Conference, where cheesemakers, cheesemongers, distributors, and enthusiasts join together to celebrate the craft of making quality cheese.