Cheesemakers From Connecticut Win National Cheese Society Awards

Over the past few years Arethusa Farm in Litchfield has won national and worldwide awards for their incredible Europa Gouda-style cheese. Just last year in 2023, Europa was named the 'Best Cheese in the world' at the 2023 United States Championship Cheese Contest. We have some new winners, besides Arethusa, in 2024.

According to Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, four Masters of cheese based right here in Connecticut took home top awards recently at the 2024 American Cheese Society Awards. The event took place in early June 2024 in Minnesota, and the winners were just announced last month at an awards ceremony. Arethusa Farm in Litchfield, and East Haven's Calabro Cheese took home multiple awards, and a product produced by the University of Connecticut took a 1st Place winner back to Storrs.

Arethusa Farm took four top awards home, including first place for their plain, whole milk yogurt, and first place in the Soft, Ripened category for Karlie's Gratitude. Arethusa was awarded second place in the flavored yogurt category for their Whole milk Vanilla, and third place for Tapping Reeve in the Aged Cheddar category. Calabro took home three first place awards for their Ricotta di Bufala, Smoked Burrata, and Burrata di Bufala.

The Mystic Cheese Company took home the first place prize in the Open Category of American-Made/International-Style, Cow's Milk Category for their cheese The Grey. The University of Connecticut's 1881 Reserve Monterey Jack cheese took home first place in the Monterey Jack category also.

Pizza, steamed cheeseburgers, hot buttered lobster rolls, lollipops, and 8 of the best cheeses in the world. It's nice to live here among the finest, isn't it?