Prairie Fruits Farm earns medals in national cheese competition

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery achieved grate-ness at the American Cheese Society Annual Competition this year.

Competitors traveled to Buffalo, New York to face off against both small farmsteads and multinational manufacturers in producing American-made cheeses. Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery entered four categories and earned medals in each one — including gold in three of the four, proving Prairie Fruits is the real big cheese.

Here are their awards in each category:

• Gold for their Everything Bagel Chevre in “Flavored Fresh Cheese”
• Gold for their Mixed Milk Feta in “Feta”
• Gold for their Camembert-style cheese, Little Bloom on the Prairie, in “Soft Ripened Mixed Milk”
• Bronze for their Ukrainian Farmers Cheese in “Fresh Cheese”

“We are incredibly proud of our team’s accomplishments this year,” Owner Lauren Brokish said. “Although we are a small dairy, these awards demonstrate that our team is crafting some of the very best cheese available in America today. Our Head Cheesemaker, Kato Lindholm, and our Creamery Manager, Lisa Little, bring extraordinary talent and dedication to our creamery. Our team’s expertise and passion, along with our happy goats, are the keys to our success.”

Additionally, this was the competition debut of their Ukrainian Farmers Cheese, so Prairie Fruits Farm said they are thrilled for it to have already placed third.

For more information on the farm, visit www.prairiefruits.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram .

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