Original and Maple Bourbon Chèvre Goat Cheeses named Best of Class
How proud are we?! So proud. Our LaClare Original Goat Cheese and Maple Bourbon Goat Cheese were each honored with first place, Best of Class wins at the 35th biennial World Championship Cheese Contest® in Madison, Wisconsin. The world’s most respected technical cheese and butter competition awarded our Original chèvre an impressive score of 99.3 in the Soft Goat’s Milk Cheese category and our Maple Bourbon chèvre a 98.6 in the Soft Goat’s Milk Cheeses Flavored with Sweet Condiments category.
When it comes to competition, the World Championship Cheese Contest is the biggest cheese there is. And bringing home Best of Class for not one but two categories is a reflection of the LaClare team’s unrivaled commitment to crafting exceptional goat cheese, and a sweet payoff for their passion, hard work, and dedication. There’s no greater honor for these artisan cheesemakers than to be recognized alongside the finest in the world.
Tradition Meets Passion: Creating Distinctly Delicious Goat Cheese
Crafted with fresh goat milk locally sourced from farms that are just a short distance from the creamery—LaClare is one of the only 100%-domestically produced goat cheese brands in the country. Known for its clean taste and extraordinary flavor, our award-winning and exceptionally versatile Original chèvre provides a blank canvas for adding unique flavors or being transformed into countless creations. By blending Original Goat Cheese with sweet maple and an aromatic bourbon flavor, another award-winner, Maple Bourbon Goat Cheese, was born.
At LaClare Creamery, we’re dedicated to craftsmanship and transparency when creating our full line of specialty cheeses. Our innovative cheeses honor tradition at every turn and pride themselves on crafting goat cheese that’s truly distinctive—from our creamy, flavor-infused chèvre to our robust hard cheeses. Our unwavering commitment to quality ensures that once you experience the fresh, clean taste of LaClare, no other goat cheese will compare.
The World Championship Cheese Contest: Honoring Excellence for Over 50 Years
2024’s World Championship Cheese Contest® included an incredible 3,302 dairy product entries from over 400 manufacturers and is hosted biennially by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. The contest began as a local event in Wisconsin, with its first competition in 1957, but soon garnered international recognition, attracting cheesemakers from around the globe.
Over the years, the competition has evolved; it’s now an even more prestigious event showcasing the finest cheeses in the world across a myriad of categories. While the judging criteria is notoriously rigorous, its panel of expert judges is revered throughout the cheesemaking industry. For LaClare, and fellow dedicated cheese artisans, the contest is a symbol of craftsmanship and quality that celebrates the rich heritage of excellence in cheesemaking.
Celebrating Excellence and Elevating the Everyday
When we say our fresh, flavorful goat cheese is beyond compare, that also goes for the passion and dedication of our talented team who makes it. At LaClare, we put our care into our craft, so you can taste our genuine love of cheese. We believe Unrivaled goat cheese makes for unforgettable meals, whether it be a holiday or a Tuesday (tacos, anyone?). Your celebrations should most certainly include extra-special, extraordinarily flavorful cheese, but so should every day.
Looking for a recipe game-changer? Add our 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest award-winning Original or Maple Bourbon chèvre to your menu planning, and score bonus points with family and friends for rich, tangy taste and smooth, creamy texture. In addition to being a go-to snack with fruit or crumbled atop a salad, our Original Goat Cheese plays perfectly into any of your favorite cheese-centric recipes—yes, decadent desserts too! And while our Maple Bourbon Goat Cheese is an experience all on its own, it also pairs beautifully with, you guessed it, bourbon. If you’re in a beer kind of mood, we suggest a stout or a dark ale. Whatever kind of drink you’re craving, there’s a goat cheese flavor to savor alongside it. And whenever your fare needs a little flair, LaClare goat cheese levels up any dish and elevates your everyday.
Bring the Award Winners Home
Aaaahh, the sweet (clean, creamy, and distinctly delicious) taste of victory. We’re beyond humbled to have been honored (twice) with first place wins at this year’s World Championship Cheese Contest, but we’re also incredibly confident that our award-winning goat cheese is a game-changer. If you’ve yet to try it, there’s no better time. Find our Best of Class chèvre at a store near you or get the fresh flavor delivered via Instacart.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest where we continually share inspiration for making every meal memorable, our go-to goat cheese recipes, and other ideas for making every day gourmet. Plus, check out The Cheese Board blog, for more winning tips and tricks for using goat cheese to elevate your everyday.