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Cheese Society Gives Awards, Revives Meet the Cheesemaker at Annual Convention

Rogue Creamery cheese at the American Cheese Society convention

Rogue Creamery’s famous blue cheeses

Seventeen years ago, David Gremmels, owner of Rogue Creamery, proposed that the American Cheese Society create a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The ACS Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 2006 by the American Cheese Society board of directors to honor those whose professional accomplishments have made a significant and lasting impact in the American cheese industry, and whose life and character have earned the respect and admiration of their professional colleagues.

Today, Gremmels (aka “Mr. Blue” for Rogue’s famous blue cheese) and Paula Lambert of Mozzarella Co., received Lifetime Achievement Awards at the ACS conference in Portland, Ore. Both had positive messages to send to peers and newcomers.

“Please join me in trying to make a positive impact in all that we do,” Gremmels said, “and make it safe, healthy, positive and other centered.”

Lambert joined the ceremony via video, as she was isolating in Dallas after contracting COVID. Lambert was hailed as a pioneer in artisanal cheesemaking and mentor to numerous cheesemakers.

“I’m thrilled beyond words,” Lambert said. “Keep a positive attitude and don’t give up.”

Michele Haram of Cypress Grove was given the Above & Beyond Award for her dedication to volunteerism.

Meritorious Service Awards were given posthumously to Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers and Patrick Polowsky, who created the Cheese Science Toolkit.

There was cheese to eat and hugs to give at the ACS Meet the Cheesemaker event.

The most popular event at the annual American Cheese Society convention, Meet the Cheesemaker, returned, with hundreds of attendees flocking to a conference room in the Oregon Convention Center to taste all the cheeses and accompaniments offered by members.

For more coverage of the American Cheese Society Convention and other specialty food industry events, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Whitney From Cellars at Jasper Hill Wins Best in Show at Specialty Cheese Show

Whitney, a Raclette-style raw milk cheese from Vermont’s Cellars at Jasper Hill won Best in Show for specialty cheese at the American Cheese Society’s annual awards.

“Behind every great cheese is a community of people,” an overwhelmed Jasper Hill co-founder, Matteo Kehler, said in a ceremony held during the ACS convention in Portland, Ore. “What we’re trying to build is an agriculture-supported community. Not a CSA, but an ASC.

“At the root of this effort is delicious cheese. It’s the vehicle. It’s reflective of this point in the industry for us and it’s an epic opportunity to push the boundaries and win new consumers,” said Kehler, who founded the creamery with his brother, Andy.

“When you win new consumers for specialty cheese, we all win and we win together,” he said.

Whitney is a Jasper Hill Creamery original, according to the company’s website, inspired by the classic, mid-elevation mountain cheeses of Europe. At Jasper Hill, people are the main ingredient; this stoic, reliable cheese pays homage to Jasper Hill’s longest-standing employee: the steadfast Tim Whitney.

Bamboozle, a washed-rind goat and cow’s milk cheese from Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy in Pennsylvania, and Flagsheep, a cloth-bound and open-air aged sheep’s milk cheese from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Washington, tied for second place.

Greensward, a cow’s milk washed-rind cheese from Murray’s Cheese of New York, took third place.

For more specialty cheese awards from the ACS convention and other coverage, get the September issue of Gourmet News. So you don’t miss anything, subscribe now!

 

Bobbie Organic Infant Formula Launches in Target Nationwide

Bobbie organic infant formulaBobbie, the American-founded, European-style USDA Organic infant formula, is launching exclusively at Target. Just 18 months after launching as the first direct-to-consumer infant formula brand, Bobbie will be available at the majority of Target stores across the country and on Target.com within the next several weeks.

As an American-founded infant formula, Bobbie is USDA Organic, made with Organic Valley grass-fed milk, sourced from pasture-raised cows across 45 small, family-owned American farms that prioritize quality and sustainability. Bobbie prioritizes rigorous quality standards and unprecedented clean-certification as the first-ever infant formula to receive both the Clean Label Project Purity Award and certification as a Pesticide-Free product.

“As a mom first and a CEO second, I know firsthand there has never been a more critical time to get more infant formula on shelves,” said Laura Modi, CEO and co-founder of Bobbie, and mom of three. “Introducing a completely differentiated organic infant formula into the market is the near and long-term solution American families need and deserve. There’s nothing more important than making sure our babies are fed and nourished.”

Bobbie represents a new generation of formula that American parents have been demanding, holding itself to the highest standards while bringing peace of mind to U.S. families. As the infant formula shortage continues, Bobbie is proud to expand accessibility to shelves across the country, providing parents with an America-manufactured, organic European-style recipe. Bobbie’s new availability in Target is a long-term solution to the need for increased market diversification and high quality options in the U.S. infant formula industry.

Bobbie launched in January 2021, selling four times greater than forecasted in its first year, making it the fastest-growing infant formula in the United States since the 1980s. Bobbie is also available at www.hibobbie.com. Today, Bobbie’s subscription customer base is over 70,000, serving families in every state across the country; and since 2021, over 100,000 babies have relied on Bobbie for their essential daily nutrition. Bobbie is eager to nourish even more babies while continuing to build a parenting culture of confidence, not comparison, that supports all feeding journeys.

Offering a European-style, USDA Organic option that meets FDA requirements to retail shelves brings Bobbie back to its origin story with a new channel of discovery. Modi was inspired to start Bobbie after the birth of her first child when she found herself standing in the aisle of a store, holding a screaming infant, and fighting fever and chills brought on by mastitis. Disappointed with all the options before her, she was struck with a mother’s intuition that there had to be a better option – and so Bobbie was born.

Bobbie will be available in the majority of Target stores across the country and on Target.com beginning in July. Available in two sizes, featuring the original 14.1 oz can for $25.99 and a new 23.9 oz can for $41.99.

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