Greensboro, Vermont, Aug. 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jasper Hill is back in the Winner’s Circle, announcing Black Label Select Program
August 1, 2017
WINNER’S CIRCLE
Cellars at Jasper Hill just took 3rd Place Best in Show for their soft-ripened stunner, Harbison, at the 2017 American Cheese Society (ACS) Competition, held July 28th in Denver, Colorado. There was a record of 2,024 entries in the competition this year with 13 Vermont cheesemakers taking home a total of 40 ribbons. Jasper Hill’s Cabot Clothbound, Alpha Tolman, and Moses Sleeper were among the winners, each scoring within the top three in their respective categories.
Harbison, a Jasper Hill Creamery original, has been well favored by judges; within the last five years Harbison has twice won Best American Cheese along with two gold medals at the World Cheese Awards as well as Best in Class three times at both the World Cheese Championship and the ACS, where the 2015 blue ribbon also took 3rd Place Best in Show in a final round of judging. A full list of Major Awards and press release archive can be found here: www.jasperhillfarm.com/press-release
Winning cheeses can be purchased in a gift bundle within Jasper Hill Farm’s online store: www.jasperhillfarm.com/shop
A full list of winners, media kit and more about the American Cheese Society Conference and Competition can be found here: http://cheesejudging.org/winners-2017/
BLACK LABEL PROGRAM
Prior to the awards ceremony, the Jasper Hill team was excited to be at the annual Cheese Conference unveiling their new Black Label Select Program.
Mateo Kehler, founding member and head cheesemaker, explains, “Just as with wine, distinctions between vintages add dimension to the overall character of a cheese. Cheesemaking is a constant challenge; a new vintage is established with each day’s make, and with it a unique expression of intent.”
The Jasper Hill Sensory Team works within their ripening vaults, constantly monitoring the developing attributes of each batch. Only those wheels deemed to be the highest expression of a cheese’s potential, less than 5% of annual inventory, are selected for the Black Label program, and are timed for released at their peak of quality.
Jasper Hill’s esteemed Cabot Clothbound bandaged cheddar is currently being used to pilot the program, but several other Cellars Collection cheeses will be included in the coming year. Cheeses are sold exclusively in whole wheel format with case signage designed for a cut-to-order service case where this high grade of an already premium cheese is expected to find favor. Black Label Clothbound should be arriving on these select specialty counters as early as the first week of August.
Kehler adds, “This program has been in development for several years—a culmination of intense sensory and compositional study of our products. We look forward to creating access to the very best of our collection for the retailers who specialize in celebrating the value of a particularly excellent piece of cheese.”
More information about the Black Label program: www.jasperhillfarm.com/black-label
More about Jasper Hill Farm
Jasper Hill is a working dairy farm with an on-site creamery in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The Cellars at Jasper Hill, an on-site, underground aging facility, maximizes the potential of cheeses made by the creamery, as well as those made by other local producers. Jasper Hill’s mission is to be a Standard Bearer of Quality and Innovation in the Artisan Cheese Industry and an active participant in the conservation of Vermont’s Working Landscape through the production of high quality products that reflect our regional Taste of Place.
Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce recently named Jasper Hill one of Vermont’s Best Places to Work. Jasper Hill employs 76 people, up from 45 in 2014 and is pleased to be considered a leader in the Vermont artisan cheese industry, which has grown from a $5 million industry in 2005, to a $50 million industry in 2015. Jasper Hill is a tireless advocate for artisan cheesemakers everywhere in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment and works closely with lawmakers and regulators to ensure that reasonable regulations supported by sound science are enacted for our industry.
More on winning cheeses:
www.jasperhillfarm.com/harbison
www.jasperhillfarm.com/Clothbound
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