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Litehouse®, Inc. swept the Blue Cheese category at the 2016 American Cheese Society (ACS) competition, following last year’s win in the Rindless Blue Cheese division. The Litehouse team won first place for its Simply Artisan Reserve Double Crème Gorgonzola, second place for its Simply Artisan Reserve True Gorgonzola and third place for its Simply Artisan Reserve True Blue. The 2016 ACS Cheese Contest was held July 27-30 in Des Moines, IA.
The Simply Artisan Reserve line is a category leader, and currently is growing by 70 percent. The line of crafted deli cheeses has won accolades by industry experts, retailers and consumers.
“Litehouse has a long heritage of making artisan cheese in a traditional way. Though we are known for our delicious refrigerated salad dressings, our handcrafted blue and gorgonzola cheeses are a point of pride for our employee owners and loved by the families we make them for,” said Margi Gunter, brand manager for deli for Litehouse, Inc. “We are thrilled to earn this top honor for our Simply Artisan Blue Cheese, a longtime favorite of our customers.”
More than 260 cheese makers submitted 1,843 products for this year’s ACS Judging and Competition. Unlike other cheese competitions where cheeses are graded down for technical defects, the goal of the ACS Judging and Competition is to award cheeses that are of the highest aesthetic and technical quality.
Litehouse’s master cheesemaker Marvin Sharp has been making cheese for more than 40 years and crafted the three award-winning cheeses. Simply Artisan Reserve Double Crème Gorgonzola is made from rBST-free milk, aged for 100 days and made with twice the cream of traditional gorgonzola cheeses. Made with rBST free milk, deliciously rich and developed in flavor due to 100 days aging, Simply Artisan Blue Cheese is crafted, flipped, and salted by hand. A two-time honoree, this cheese was awarded first place at the ACS’s 2015 competition. Simply Artisan Reserve Gorgonzola Cheese is handcrafted and vintage aged a minimum of 100 days, resulting in a cheese that is delightfully smooth and creamy in texture.
About Simply Artisan Reserve
With its proud heritage in cheese craftsmanship, Simply Artisan was created by Litehouse, Inc. in 2014 to showcase its wide array of deli cheese products. Cheesemaker Marvin Sharp brings more than 40 years of experience to the Simply Artisan family of products, which includes cheese crumble cups, cheese crumble pouches, center cuts, wheels and shakable cheese. The award winning line has received many industry accolades, including first place at the American Cheese Society’s prestigious 2015 Cheese Contest for its Simply Artisan Reserve Blue Cheese. For more information, visit www.SimplyArtisanReserve.com.
About Litehouse, Inc.
Litehouse, Inc. started in the Hope, Idaho restaurant of the Hawkins family over 50 years ago. Since that time, it has become the leader in refrigerated salad dressings, fruit and veggie dips, sauces, Instantly Fresh® Herbs, blue cheese, and pressed apple cider, manufacturing these delicious products at its three U.S. facilities based in Michigan, Utah and Idaho. Litehouse is proud to be 100% employee-owned and each one of the employee owners is proud to carry on the high standards of quality and innovation, living up to the slogan…Families Making Food for Families. For more information, visit www.LitehouseFoods.com, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
About the American Cheese Society (ACS)
ACS is the leading organization supporting the understanding, appreciation, and promotion of artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheeses produced in the Americas. At nearly 1,700 members strong, ACS provides advocacy, education, business development, and networking opportunities for cheesemakers, retailers, enthusiasts, and extended industry. ACS strives to continually raise the quality and availability of cheese in the Americas. www.cheesesociety.org
