By Blake Jackson
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) has announced the esteemed panel of judges for the 2025 United States Championship Cheese Contest.
Thirty-eight experts from fifteen states will evaluate thousands of dairy product entries at the competition, held March 4-6 at the Resch Expo in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The judges include cheese graders, buyers, dairy science professors, and researchers, representing a diverse range of expertise within the dairy industry.
Among them are Jill Allen (Tillamook), Valerie Arechiga (Glanbia Nutritionals), Marc Bates (Bates Consulting), Larry Bell (LBell Consulting), and Dr. MaryAnne Drake (North Carolina State University).
A full list of judges is available here.
Overseeing the judging process is the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest leadership team, known as the “Red Hats.” Led by Chief Judge Jim Mueller (Mueller Consulting), the Red Hats include Assistant Chief Judges Tim Czmowski (ISG Engineering), Stan Dietsche (Oshkosh Cold Storage), Josef Hubatschek (ALPMA, retired), Mariana Marques de Almeida (Ms. J and Co.), and Sandy Toney (Masters Gallery Foods).
Randy Swensen (Wisconsin Aging & Grading Cheese) serves as Director of Logistics, and John Jaeggi (Center for Dairy Research) joins the team for the first time in 2025.
The U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, hosted biennially by WCMA since 1981, is the nation’s leading competition for cheese, butter, cultured products, and dry dairy ingredients.
The 2025 contest promises to be another exciting event, showcasing the best of American dairy craftsmanship.
This year, the preliminary judging rounds are open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, and Wednesday, March 5. Cheese enthusiasts are encouraged to witness the judging process firsthand.
The culmination of the contest, the unveiling of the 2025 U.S. Champion Cheese, will be a special livestream event on Thursday, March 6, at 2:00 p.m. (CT).
Viewers can tune in at USChampionCheese.org to witness this exciting moment. Media are welcome to attend all three days of the event.
Photo Credit: wisconsin-cheese-makers-association
Categories: Wisconsin, Business