At the prestigious annual World Cheese Awards in November, Beemster cheese was awarded three top prizes. Royaal Grand Cru, aged 12 months, took home a Super Gold spot, as did Paradiso Reserve, a 10-month old cheese. XO, the longest-aged cheese in the cheesemaker’s portfolio, won Gold. The competition garnered more than 4,700 cheese entries from around the world and was scored by 240 judges from 40 countries.
“It is an incredible honor,” remarked Gijs Dankers, General Manager of Export at CONO Kaasmakers, the farmer-owned cooperative that produces Beemster cheese. “We are competing alongside the best in the industry, exceptional talent, and judged by experts with exceptional knowledge and experience. It takes a special cheese to stand out. To achieve two Super Gold awards and a Gold award is truly rewarding recognition for our farmers and cheesemakers.”
Royaal Grand Cru is a 12-month aged PDO North Holland Gouda that CONO Kaasmakers developed in tribute to their Appointment as Purveyor to the Royal Court of The Netherlands. Such Appointments to the Royal Court of the Netherlands are awarded only to Dutch companies that are at least 100 years old, reflect Dutch heritage, and are prominent in their region and industry. Royaal Grand Cru is slowly and naturally aged on wooden planks, developing a complex profile and crystallization throughout. According to a press release, the sweet, nutty and rich flavor made this cheese popular in Holland and Europe.
The USA and Canada have had only limited-time special rotations, but Beemster is looking forward to bringing this standout cheese to the US market as a stocked cheese in 2025. Dankers encourages, “interested retailers and distributors should contact Atalanta, Beemster’s importer, to secure allocation because this cheese is flying off the shelves!”
Beemster XO is a longtime favorite with a loyal following. The 26-month aged, North Holland Gouda, won Gold at the same competition. XO is beloved for its flavors that fans describe as notes of whiskey and butterscotch. The cheese has a hard and crumbly texture, but still has a creamy quality to it that the master cheesemakers of Beemster attribute to the unique milk that their cows eat.
From Mary Caldwell, who helms marketing for Beemster in the USA and Canada, “terroir, that taste of place, is evident in XO. It weaves together the unique grass that our cows eat, the climate, region and soil that grass grows in, the recipes that were developed more than 120 years ago, the techniques we apply in cheesemaking, and the expertise of our cheesemasters in aging. This is why we say, ‘Gouda can come from anywhere, but only Beemster can come from the Beemster.’”
Congrats to Beemster on this recent win! For more industry news, leave a tab open to DMN.
