The 81 finalists in the 2015 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix have been announced. The prestigious biennial competition sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada saw 268 cheeses submitted in 27 categories.
The winners will be announced April 22 at a Gala of Champions in Toronto.
Quebec, home to the majority of Canada’s cheese producers, dominates the list of 81 finalists with 31 cheeses. Naturally, some of the larger producers have the most finalists: Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, 7 finalists, Sylvan Star Cheese, 6, and Natural Pastures Cheese Company and Fromagerie du Presbytère, 5.
The competition, open to cheese made exclusively with Canadian cow’s milk, first started in 1998 to promote achievement and innovation in cheesemaking and to spotlight the quality of Canadian milk.
Here are the 2015 finalists:
Fresh Cheese
- Formaggino Original, Bella Stella Cheese, BC
- Cream Cheese, M.C. Dairy Co. Ltd., ON
- Ricotta / Bella Casara, Quality Cheese Inc., ON
Fresh Pasta Filata
- Cherry Bocconcini, Natural Pastures Cheese Company, BC
- Fresh Mozzarella Zerto, Finica Food Specialties Ltd., ON
- Burrata / Bella Casara, Quality Cheese Inc., ON
Fresh Cheese with grilling properties
- Le Fleur St-Michel, Fromagerie du Terroir de Bellechasse, QC
- Le Paillasson de l’isle d’Orléans, Les Fromages de l’isle d’Orléans, QC
- Queso Fresco Cheese, Latin Foods Inc., AB
Soft Cheese with bloomy rind
- Comox Camembert, Natural Pastures Cheese Company, BC
- Comox Brie, Natural Pastures Cheese Company, BC
- Brie paysan, Fromagerie du Presbytère, QC
Cream-enriched Soft Cheese with bloomy rind
- Albert’s Leap Bel Haven Triple Creme Brie, Quality Cheese Inc., ON
- Le Riopelle de l’Isle, Société Coopérative Agricole de l’Île-aux-Grues, QC
- Laliberté, Fromagerie du Presbytère, QC
Semi-soft Cheese
- St-Paulin, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser Inc., QC
- Fleur de Weedon, Fromagerie P’tit Plaisir, QC
- Amsterdammer, Natural Pastures Cheese Company, BC
Washed- or Mixed-Rind Soft Cheese
- L’Origine de Charlevoix, Laiterie Charlevoix Inc., QC
- 14 Arpents, Fromagerie Médard, QC
- L’Empereur, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser Inc., QC
Washed- or Mixed-Rind Semi-soft Cheese
- Raclette, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser Inc., QC
- Tête Dure, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser Inc., QC
- Le Mamirolle, Fromagerie Éco Délices, QC
Washed- or Mixed-Rind Firm Cheese
- La Meule des champs, Fromagerie Éco Délices, QC
- Le Blackburn, Fromagerie Blackburn, QC
- Alfred Le Fermier 18 months, Fromagerie La Station, QC
Firm Cheese (except Cheddar and Gouda)
- Asiago, Bright Cheese & Butter Mfg. Co. Ltd., ON
- Heidi, The Farm House Natural Cheeses, BC
- Muenster, Bothwell Cheese Inc, MB
Swiss-type Cheese
- Miranda, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser Inc., QC
- Handeck, Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese Ltd., ON
- Louis d’Or, Fromagerie du Presbytère, QC
Mozzarella (Ball, Brick or Cylinder) or Pasta Filata
- Tre Stelle Mozzarella Cheese, Arla Foods Inc., ON
- Oaxaca, Local Dairy Products, ON
- Mozzarella Ball, International Cheese Co. Ltd., ON
Brine-ripened Cheese
- Queso Duro Cheese, Latin Foods Inc., AB
- Feta Cheese, Tiras Dairies Inc., AB
- Tre Stelle Feta Cheese, Arla Foods Inc., ON
Gouda (aged 1 to 6 months)
- Gouda Medium, Sylvan Star Cheese Ltd., AB
- Mountainoak Farmstead Premium Dutch Medium, Mountainoak Cheese Ltd., ON
- Gouda Mild, Sylvan Star Cheese Ltd., AB
Aged Gouda
- Louis Cyr, Fromagerie Bergeron, QC
- Gouda Aged, Sylvan Star Cheese Ltd., AB
- Mountainoak Farmstead Premium Dutch Aged, Mountainoak Cheese Ltd., ON
Extra Aged Gouda
- Old Grizzly, Sylvan Star Cheese Ltd., AB
- Grizzly, Sylvan Star Cheese Ltd., AB
- Mountainoak Farmstead Premium Dutch Gold, Mountainoak Cheese Ltd., ON
Blue Cheese
- Le Rassembleu, Fromagiers de la Table Ronde, QC
- Bleu Bénédictin, Fromagerie Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, QC
- Le Bleu d’Élizabeth, Fromagerie du Presbytère, QC
Flavoured Cheese with added non-particulate flavourings (except smoked cheese)
- Stout beer cheddar, Fromagerie Perron, QC
- Tipsy, Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese Ltd., ON
- Griffon Raclette, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser Inc., QC
Smoked Cheese
- Gouda Smoked Natural Cheese, Sylvan Star Cheese Ltd., AB
- Appletree Smoked Cheddar, Cows Creamery, PE
- Naturally Smoked Boerenkaas, Natural Pastures Cheese Company, BC
Flavoured Cheese with added particulate solids and flavourings
- Raclette de Compton au poivre, Fromagerie La Station, QC
- Formaggino Garden Herb, Bella Stella Cheese, BC
- Pepper Raclette, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser Inc., QC
Mild Cheddar (aged 3 months)
- Marble Cheddar, Bothwell Cheese Inc., MB
- Mild Cheddar, Bothwell Cheese Inc., MB
- L’Ancêtre Organic Mild Cheddar, Fromagerie L’Ancêtre Inc., QC
Medium Cheddar (aged 4 to 9 months)
- L’Ancêtre Organic Medium Cheddar, Fromagerie L’Ancêtre Inc., QC
- Medium Cheddar, Bothwell Cheese Inc., MB
- Medium Cheddar, Maple Dale Cheese, ON
Old Cheddar (aged from 9 months to a year)
- Old Cheddar, Bothwell Cheese Inc., MB
- Traditional Clothbound Cheddar (9 to 12 months), The Farm House Natural Cheeses, BC
- Old Cheddar, Bright Cheese & Butter Mfg., ON
Aged Cheddar (1 to 3 years)
- Extra Old Cheddar, Cows Creamery, PE
- Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, Cows Creamery, PE
- Traditional Clothbound Cheddar (1 to 3 years old), The Farm House Natural Cheeses, BC
Aged Cheddar (more than 3 years)
- Extra Old Vintage Cheddar Cheese, Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ivanhoe Cheese, ON
- Outrageously Old Aged 72 Months, Maple Dale Cheese, ON
- Extra Old Cheddar 5 Years, St-Albert Cheese Cooperative Inc., ON
Farmhouse Cheese
- Mountainoak Farmstead Premium Dutch Gold, Mountainoak Cheese Ltd., ON
- Louis d’Or, Fromagerie du Presbytère, QC
- Handeck, Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese Ltd., ON
Organic Cheese
- Le Baluchon, Fromagerie F. X. Pichet, QC
- Alfred Le Fermier 18 months, Fromagerie La Station, QC
- Comtomme, Fromagerie La Station, QC
Typically, many of the finalists and winners are available for sampling and purchase at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival, this year taking place June 6-7 at Picton Fairgrounds in the heart of Ontario’s Prince Edward County, just south of Belleville in Bay of Quinte Region, near spectacular Sandbanks Provincial Park.
