Henning Cheese Earn Multiple First Place Honors at 2025 United States Championship Cheese Contest; Rebekah Henschel Comments

Henning Cheese delivered a championship performance at the 2025 United States Championship Cheese Contest, earning multiple first place honors and a top 20 overall finish for the second year in a row. Onion & Chive Cheddar was named top 20 overall and best in its class, with Aged Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar and Dragon’s Breath Cheddar all awarded medals for top 3 finishes.

“We’re thrilled to see our cheeses recognized as best in class in what is always an incredibly competitive pool of entries,” said Rebekah Henschel, co-owner & director of Henning’s national sales, in a recent press release. “To have one of our products named in the top 20 back-to-back years shows us that the hard work and dedication we put into our craft is paying off in the high-quality cheese we make.”

The U.S. Championship Cheese Contest has been held biennially since 1981. 2025 marks the 22^nd edition of the contest, hosted in Green Bay, Wis., by the Wisconsin Cheese Maker’s Association. The contest is open to cheesemakers across the nation and is evaluated by a panel of skilled technical judges. Cheeses are scored by flavor, body and texture, salt, color, finish, packaging and more. This year’s competition saw more than 2,400 entries from 31 different states.

Henning Cheese accolades by class and place are as follows:

• Open Class: Hard Cheeses, Flavored – Onion & Chive Cheddar – 1^st place (Top 20 Overall)
• Open Class: Pepper Flavored Cheese, High Heat – Dragon's Breath Cheddar – 1^st place
• Traditional Waxed Cheddar, Sharp to Aged:
  • Aged Cheddar (cured over 9 months) – 1^st Place
  • Sharp Cheddar (cured over 18 months) – 2^nd Place

Henning Cheese can be found online and in grocery stores nationwide.