Australian Grand Dairy Awards 2020: Victorian blue cheese takes out top honours
A range of Victorian dairy producers were honoured at this year’s Australian Grand Dairy Awards, with a slice of South Gippsland profusely praised.
A BLUE cheese from South Gippsland has been named Australia’s best dairy product, beating many larger competitors.
The Oak Blue from the Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese in Fish Creek was named cheese grand champion at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards in Melbourne last night.
Western Star salted butter from Fonterra’s Cobden factory secured the other top honour, named dairy product grand champion by a panel of 12 industry experts.
Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese proprietor Barry Charlton said attention to detail was a key part of the Gippsland producer’s award-winning run.
“We focus heavily on great quality milk ... I hand-pick the farms myself; we’ve got three I use. That means we’ve got consistent quality milk,” he said.
Fonterra Cobden production supervisor Scott McDonald said more than one pack of Western Star butter was sold every second in Australian shops and supermarkets.
“Picking up both butter champion and then the grand champion for dairy was fantastic,” he said. “We’ve been market leader for a significant amount of time — the Western Star brand itself has been around for more than 90 years.”
Victorian producers claimed seven of the 19 categories, with Thomastown-based Floridia Cheese winning the fresh unripened category with its ricotta while Gundowring Fine Foods, from North East Victoria, won the ice cream category with its licorice variety.
Thomastown-based That’s Amore Cheese won two gongs — best dairy dessert with gelato tartufo and best flavoured cheese with its diavoletti.
Rounding out the Victorian champions was Prom Country Cheese, from Moyarra in Gippsland, which won the best goat/sheep/buffalo category with its Venus Blue product.
Dairy Australia event convener Alexandra Kury said winning at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards was the highest accolade in the industry.
“It is testament to our farmers and producers, whose hard work and dedication to their craft inspires some of the highest quality dairy products in the world,” she said.
FULL LIST OF 2020 AWARD WINNERS
VICTORIA
Blue Cheese: Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese — Oak Blue
Butter: Fonterra Cobden — Western Star Salted Butter
Fresh Unripened Cheese: Floridia Cheese — Ricotta
Dairy Dessert: That’s Amore Cheese — Gelato Tartufo
Flavoured Cheese: That’s Amore Cheese — Diavoletti
Ice Cream: Gundowring Fine Foods — Licorice Icecream
Goat/Sheep/Buffalo Cheese: Prom Country Cheese — Venus Blue
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Modified Milk: Brownes Dairy — Hilo Lactose Free Milk
Milk: Lactalis — Pauls Farmhouse Gold Cream on Top
Flavoured Yoghurt: Mundella Foods — Greek Vanilla Yoghurt
Natural Yoghurt: Greek Natural Yoghurt
TASMANIA
Washed/Mixed Rind: King Island Dairy Stormy
QUEENSLAND
Dairy Gelato: Milani House of Gelato — Pistachio Gelato
White Mould Cheese: Woombye Cheese Company — Ash Brie
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Hard Cheese: Beston Pure Foods — Edward’s Crossing Parmesan
Semi Hard/Eye Cheese: Section28 Artisan Cheese — Section28 Fontina
NEW SOUTH WALES
Flavoured Milk: Norco Foods – Natural Malt, Chocolate and Honey
Cream: The Little Big Dairy Company — Single Source Pure Pouring Cream
Cheddar Cheese: Bega Cheese — Heritage Reserve Vintage
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