In a job in which passion, tradition and dedication are always present it is a joy and an incentive to be recognised, especially when that recognition comes from the most prestigious international competition, the World Cheese Awards. These were held on the 26-29th November in the United Kingdom, where Reny Picot cheeses were medal winners in six categories.
We are very proud of our plant in Fresno de la Ribera, which won four of the six awards received, again highlighting the excellent quality of our Castilian cheeses. In the mixed-milk cheese category, our Montelarreina Mature won the gold medal, with Montelarreina Semi-Mature achieving the bronze medal in the same category.
A silver medal goes to our Señorio de Castilla, which enjoys Denomination of Origen of Zamora and is considered one of the best sheep cheeses in the world.
Once again, our Señorio de Montelarreina Gran Reserva is a winner, adding the bronze medal in the sheep cheese category to its long list of international recognitions.
Our U.S. subsidiary, Old Europe Cheese, is also delighted to accept two further awards. It takes the silver medal for its Brie Triple Cream and a bronze for its Layered Brie Herbs.
At this latest event, the WCA continued its association with the highly successful consumerism platform, the BBC’s Good Food Show, with the awards ceremony taking place again at the NEC in Birmingham. Some 2727 cheeses from more than 30 counties were on show in the 1000m2 auditorium. 250 experts from around the world deliberated in groups of four to identify the winning cheeses, with the final decision taking place on 26th November in front of a live audience.
In addition to this grand exhibition of cheeses there were huge auditoriums with prestigious chefs, an event dedicated to wine, and a food festival, ensuring that the event met its promise of being the biggest and most cosmopolitan cheese fair in the United Kingdom. After the expert judges had made their decisions, more than 80,000 visitors were able to enjoy the array of taste sensations on offer.
New this year, the WCA had its own channel, World Cheese TV, which broadcast the deliberation process of the judges live all over the world. Producers and cheese enthusiasts were able to witness the process of adjudicating the best cheeses in the world, including guided educational visits and tastings of the cheeses of the event sponsors at its World Cheese Deli. The next event, 2016, promises even more, if that’s possible, because it will be held in our country, in the city of San Sebastian.
We are truly proud of our Reny Picot family, of all our cheeses, and above all of our magnificent team, who make our success possible with their daily efforts. Thank you and congratulations to everyone.