Stanhope cheese wins big at International cheese 'Oscars'

The 122-year-old awards are the pinnacle competition for cheese and dairy foods, with independent judges from across the globe coming together to assess thousands of cheeses.

Fonterra Stanhope site manager Jason Wright says the awards are the top recognition for all the hard work that goes into the process from paddock to plate, to turn our northern Victorian farmers’ milk into quality cheese.

“Over 5,000 cheeses are entered in this competition from more than 50 countries around the world, it’s kind of like the cheese version of the Oscars. So, to have won in this context really speaks to the quality of our cheese.

“This year we entered our block mozzarella for the first time, along with our traditional award-winning cheddars. Our Stanhope mozzarella took home a gold for Best Mozzarella, competing against European and other global mozzarellas.

“Our cheddars also continued to shine, and we walked away with a silver medal for our tasty cheddar and a bronze for our mild cheddar, a great result all round.

“It’s a team effort – from our farmers milk, which is turned into cheese at our Stanhope site, right through to the team who market and sell the cheese,” says Jason.

Overall, Fonterra walked away with seven wins for Australia, with its Wynyard site in Tasmania also taking home some accolades, winning Best Australian Cheddar for its tasty cheddar and mild cheddar.

The full list of Fonterra’s winning products: