World Cheese Awards
The pride and joy of the 2019 edition are the World Cheese Awards. These are the Cheese “Oscars” and they are being staged in Italy for the first time, hosted in the Promoberg – Fiera di Bergamo pavilions from 18 to 20 October: the first day, set aside for trade professionals, will be followed by the Cheese Tour, a two-day event open to the public.
Organised by The Guild of Fine Food, for more than 30 years the World Cheese Awards have been casting the spotlight on the finest producers on the planet, from small artisans to major brands. 3,472 cheeses from 41 countries, more than 2,500 producers, an international jury of 235 experts and 6,000 visitors, made up of specialists, opinion leaders and enthusiasts from around the world, these are the facts and figures for the latest edition, held in Bergen, Norway, where Italy scooped up 175 Awards, of which 13 Super Golds, 42 Golds, 60 Silvers and 60 Bronzes. A full 4 of the 16 Top Cheese Finalists were Italian, with the Best Italian Cheese award being scooped by the Pecorino Toscano Riserva del Fondatore, made by the Caseificio Il Fiorino di Roccalbenga, in the province of Grosseto. For the 32nd edition, it is expected that the record of 3,500 cheeses will be superseded, thanks to the presence of new producer nations such as Japan, Barbados, Thailand and Taiwan.
John Farrand, Managing Director of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, states:
ear after year, the international profile of the World Cheese Awards is on the up. For this reason, it is very important for us to collaborate with similar organisations, which understand the value and the potential of this event. Linking up with FORME seemed like a very natural choice, and we are extremely honoured to bring the competition to Bergamo, a beautiful city with a rich cheesemaking heritage. Lombardy _and Bergamo in particular, with its history and its extraordinary cheesemaking traditions, which have seen it achieve the European record of 9 cheese PDOs_ will become the focus of the world’s attention. We are gearing up for a record year in terms of visitors and competing countries, and we can’t wait to collaborate with FORME to create a memorable event and raise awareness of the entire dairy/cheesemaking sector”.
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