Caputo Brothers Creamery Wins Bronze at World Cheese Awards 2017

Spring Grove, PA, November 30, 2017 --(PR.com)-- Caputo Brothers Creamery of Spring Grove, PA has been named among the winners at the 30th annual World Cheese Awards in London, standing out from the crowd as over 3,000 entries were judged in a single day at Tobacco Dock on Friday, November 17.

Caputo Brothers Creamery was awarded a coveted Bronze award for its Vecchio (Ricotta Salata) - a whey-based ricotta that is salted and aged for at least 6 weeks. This cheese is higher in moisture than traditional Ricotta Salata, allowing for a funky rind development and giving this cheese a distinct flavor, totally unexpected from a whey-based cheese. The Vecchio also recently won first place at the 2017 American Cheese Society for Traditional Regional Italian Cheese.

With entries from a record breaking 35 different countries judged at the 30th anniversary edition of the World Cheese Awards, which formed part of this year’s Taste of London Festive Edition, Caputo Brothers Creamery has shined a spotlight on its cheese on this truly international stage.

Owner Rynn Caputo explains, “From the first time I tasted our Vecchio (Ricotta Salata) cheese, I knew we had something very special and truly unique on our hands. Even still, I had no idea how it would be received by the cheese world. Being named a finalist for the Good Food Awards, receiving first place in the American Cheese Society competition, and now a Bronze Medal at the World Cheese Awards all in its first year on the market...I think it is safe to say that the rest of the world thinks it is pretty special too. To say that we are excited, humbled, and downright beside ourselves would be an understatement!”

Entries made their way by road, rail, air and sea, via 12 consolidation points located in every corner of the globe, which channelled cheeses into London from nations including Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Columbia and South Africa. The 230-strong judging panel brought together more nations than ever before, representing six continents and 29 different countries, from South Africa and Japan to Mexico and the USA, to taste, nose and grade all 3,001 cheeses in a single day, giving Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold awards to winning cheeses.

With the top 16 cheeses selected, the audience then gathered at Taste of London Festive Edition to watch the International Super Jury debate the world’s best cheeses. Made up of top names from the global curd community, featuring cheese makers, buyers, retailers and writers, the final panel made their cases for their chosen cheeses live on World Cheese TV, before crowning this year’s World Champion Cheese.

Taste of London Festive Edition took place at Tobacco Dock in London from November 16-19. For more information, visit https://london.tastefestivals.com.

For more information: Kyle Carter, Director of Culinary Experiences. 717-850-6045 or kyle@caputobrotherscreamery.com

Notes for editors:

About Caputo Brothers Creamery
Deciding on their honeymoon to quit their Fortune 500 jobs, David and Rynn Caputo attended culinary school in Calabria, Italy for four months. After traveling across all twenty regions of Italy, they knew they were destined to make their culinary passion their life’s work. Upon returning to the States and recognizing the void of cheeses they had grown to love, the idea for a creamery was born, and aptly named after their sons, Giovanni and Matteo - The Caputo Brothers. Caputo Brothers Creamery, based in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, has produced handcrafted, authentic Italian cheeses since 2011.

World Cheese Awards 2017 – the background
- The World Cheese Awards is organized by the Guild of Fine Food
- 2017 was the 30th anniversary edition of the competition
- The planet’s biggest "cheese-only" competition - no yogurt, cream, butter or other dairy
- 3,001 cheeses from 35 different countries entered – including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the USA
- 230 judges from across the globe travelled from 29 different countries to nose, taste and grade the cheese
- Judging broadcasted live on World Cheese TV
- A Super Jury of 16 judges decided the final winning World Champion Cheese
- How the judging works: Judges work in teams of three or four, identifying any cheeses worthy of a bronze, silver, gold - or no award. They are looking at the rind and the body of the cheese, its colour, texture, consistency and, above all, its taste. Each of the 66 teams then nominates one exceptional cheese as the Super Gold from their table. These 66 cheeses are the best in the world and are judged a second time by the Super Jury of 16 internationally recognized experts, who will each select a cheese to champion in the final round of judging. The Super Jury then debates the final 16 in front of a live consumer and trade audience, before choosing the World Champion Cheese live on World Cheese TV, with cheese lovers across the globe tuning in for the drama.