Gruyere AOP Announces Winners of 2016 Scholarship Contest, Trip to Switzerland

Pringy, Switzerland – Today the Interprofession du Gruyère is pleased to announce that the winner of their 2016 ‘Scholarship’ Contest, launched at the American Cheese Society 2016 Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. In fact, part of the news is that there is not a single winner, but three! The judges felt that the quality of the competition, held among Certified Cheese Professionals®, was so extraordinary that choosing multiple victors was the only way to properly honor the endeavor. 

The winners will receive a trip to the Gruyères Region of Switzerland in the Spring of 2017, where they will travel to several areas within the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin, or AOP in French), and discover the special properties of the people and the region that create Gruyère AOP. 

In order to earn their prize, the competitors had to answer a series of questions regarding Gruyère AOP, and were then asked to highlight an aspect of Gruyère AOP and present it – in a recipe, a showcase, etc. 

Our esteemed panel of judges consisted of Peggy Smith (President of the American Cheese Society), Lassa Skinner (journalist and owner of Culture - The Word on Cheese magazine) and Alexandre Herrmann (Director of Swiss Tourism Americas). After much thoughtful consideration, they agreed to honor the following three contest winners (listed alphabetically by last name): 

Ann Campbell, Di Bruno Bros - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 

Izzy Creveling, Peterson Cheese Company - Auburn, Washington, USA 

Wendy Johnson, Whole Foods Market - West Des Moines, Iowa, USA 

As our winners visit with milk producers, cheese makers and refiners from various areas within our region, they will learn, but will also teach – they will be asked to discuss their work, so that Gruyère AOP can better serve their needs in the U.S. going forward. Gruyère AOP is proud to have the opportunity to present its process to these important members of the U.S. cheese market, and to introduce representatives of our partners in production, without whom our outstanding product would not be possible. Without excellent milk, a cheese maker with enduring skill and longstanding know-how, and a refiner that takes proper and round-the-clock care of the cheeses, Gruyère AOP is not possible. The respect for the heritage of Le Gruyère AOP is indeed the reason for all of its success. 

The Interprofession du Gruyère represents the milk producers (2200), cheesemakers (165 village cheese makers, and 53 alpine cheese makers) and refiners (9) of Gruyère AOP Switzerland. Responsibilities of the Interprofession include overseeing , controlling the quality, the quantities and the marketing of Gruyère AOP Switzerland, as well as the defense of the trademark and PDO in the U.S. and worldwide. 

For more information contact: Laure Rousseau, Interprofession du Gruyère - laure.rousseau@gruyere.com, 0041.26.921.84.10