STATE

LaClare Family Creamery wins two 2018 Good Food Awards

Wisconsin State Farmer

 

Good Food Foundation cited Wisconsin-based LaClare Family Creamery’s Evalon and Cave-Aged Chandoka cheeses at the top tier among the nation’s top cheeses.

MALONE - Selected on the merits of best agricultural practices and great taste, a pair of LaClare Family Creamery cheeses have won the nationally recognized 2018 Good Food Award.

The non-profit, San Francisco-based Good Food Foundation cited Wisconsin-based LaClare Family Creamery’s Evalon and Cave-Aged Chandoka cheeses at the top tier among the nation’s top cheeses.

“The 2018 Winners represent the vanguard in each of their industries, setting new standards for gastronomic excellence as well as social and environmental practices that have over time proven to be adopted by the rest of the industry,” the foundation reported.

“Our family is humbled to be recognized at the national level,” said LaClare Cheesemaker Katie Fuhrmann. “Consumers not only want the best-tasting cheese, but they want to have the confidence that it is produced in an environmentally sound and animal-friendly manner.”

LaClare was one of only seven cheesemakers to have more than one product even reach the finalist level.

LaClare Farms will move its cave-aged Chandoka-aging program to the Malone facility where the goat farm, restaurant and retail shop is also located. Chandoka made from a blend of cow and goat milk, is one of LaClare’s signature cheeses next to Evalon.

The 15 categories the Good Food Awards celebrate – from spirits to cheese to coffee – comprise over $200 billion of America’s gross domestic product, a greater portion than the cattle and pork industries combined. Finalists were selected in a blind tasting of 2,057 entries, and also passed a rigorous vetting to confirm they meet Good Food Awards standards regarding supply chain transparency, environmentally sound agricultural practices, humane animal husbandry and deep community engagement.

The Good Food Foundation represents “not just the best of America’s food movement, but the qualities we love most about this country: our rich cultural diversity, vibrant agricultural landscape, and the creativity and integrity of its small business owners.”