FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Haley Elkins, 802-451-8564, haley@vtcheese.com

VERMONT CHEESEMAKERS AWARDED 64 MEDALS AT THE BIG E GOLD MEDAL CHEESE COMPETITION AT THE EASTERN STATES EXPOSITION

Winners announced August 4, with Award Presentation on Saturday, September 26

The 2026 Gold Medal Cheese Competition saw 12 Vermont cheesemakers awarded 64 medals including including two Best in Show awards for Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland County) and 30 gold medal wins overall

Waterbury Center, VT (Aug 5, 2026)

The Vermont Cheese Council (VCC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the cheesemaking community of Vermont and the Vermont cheese brand, announced that Vermont Cheesemakers took home 64 total awards across 12 Vermont cheesemakers and producers at The Big E Gold Medal Cheese Competition this week.

The Big E Gold Medal Cheese Competition has been a staple of the Eastern States Exposition’s events since 2008, with this year’s entries hailing from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Winning cheeses will be sampled and sold alongside winners of The Big E Gold Medal Wine, Cider, & Perry Competitions in the Eastern States Farmers Market and Wine Cafe during The Big E, September 18 to October 4, 2026, with a formal award presentation to be conducted on Saturday, September 26 at The Big E.

Competitions not only help Vermont cheesemakers to gain recognition and exposure, but also to receive valuable technical and aesthetic feedback from an esteemed panel of industry professionals, which can improve the quality of production of cheeses. VCC finds this aspect of the competition an invaluable educational tool for its members, and reimburses Vermont cheesemakers for competition entry fees up to a certain amount to support their efforts in showcasing their cheese in a competitive setting.

While well-represented in the Cheddar categories with medals for Billings Farm & Museum, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Grafton Village Cheese, Jasper Hill Farm, and Vermont Farmstead, Vermont makers also fared impressively in soft cheeses, blue cheeses, smoked cheese, and alpine style cheeses, among other categories. Green Mountain Blue Cheese (Franklin Co) medaled for all three of their blue cheeses, while Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery took home seven medals across the Italian, Feta, and Butter categories.

“It’s a joy to see Vermont makers taking home nearly half the placements across 18 diverse classes,” said Haley Elkins, Executive Director of the Vermont Cheese Council. “We’re proud of every single Vermont cheesemaker – not only a Vermont maker garnering two Best in Show placements, but also Vermont makers topping both the ‘Eastern Originals’ and the ‘American Originals’ categories, which are great recognitions of the creativity of both the Northeast and American artisan cheeses.”

Bridport Creamery (Addison Co) took home gold and silver medals in the ‘American Originals’ and ‘Eastern Originals’ category for their Lake Street Colby and Mustard Seed Swisserella respectively, while ‘American Originals’ also saw Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) medal in gold for their new Brimstone cheese and Crowley Cheese (Rutland Co) medaled in silver for Crowley Mild.

Many of these cheeses can also be sampled at the Vermont Cheese Council’s upcoming Vermont Cheesemakers Festival at Shelburne Farms, VT on Sunday, September 20. Cheeses from 30+ cheesemakers as well as charcuterie, chocolates, jams, breads, and beverages will be available for sampling and purchasing. Tickets must be purchased in advance at vtcheese.com/festival.

The state of Vermont, celebrated for its focus on family agriculture, small farms, and Vermont-made products, including cheese, boasts more cheese companies per capita than any other state in the nation. There are currently 40 members of the Vermont Cheese Council making over 150+ varieties of cheese. Cheesemakers range in size from producers for local farmers markets to producers selling in regional, national and international markets.

A spreadsheet of winning Vermont cheeses can be found here, as well as the list below:

Winning cheeses from Vermont:

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Brimstone, BEST IN SHOW

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Pawlet, THIRD BEST IN SHOW

Billings Farm & Museum (Windsor Co) – Butter Cheddar, 1A – Cheddar (Aged up to 12 Months)

Billings Farm & Museum (Windsor Co) – Smoked Cheddar, 14A – Smoked Cheese

Blue Ledge Farm (Addison Co) – Honey Chevre with Orange, 9C – Flavored Goat Cheese

Blue Ledge Farm (Addison Co) – Lake’s Edge Mini, 9B – Ripened Goat Cheese

Boston Post Dairy (Franklin Co) – Artisan Greek Feta, 15C – Feta (Goat, Sheep, or Mixed Milk)

Boston Post Dairy (Franklin Co) – Date Night Chevre, 9C – Flavored Goat Cheese

Boston Post Dairy (Franklin Co) – Vermont Country Brie, 12A – Soft Ripened White Mold Cheese

Bridport Creamery (Addison Co) – Curds, 17D – Flavored Cheese Curds

Bridport Creamery (Addison Co) – Lake Street Colby, 3A – American Originals

Bridport Creamery (Addison Co) – Mustard Seed Swisserella, 2A – Eastern States Originals

Bridport Creamery (Addison Co) – Plain Cheese Curds, 17C – Cheese Curds

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot 10% Plain Greek Yogurt, 16C – Yogurt

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot 10% Strawberry Greek Yogurt, 16D – Flavored Yogurt

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot 10% Vanilla Greek Yogurt, 16D – Flavored Yogurt

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot 3 Year Cheddar, 1C – Cheddar (Aged over 24 months)

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot 83% BF Euro Style Butter with Sea Salt, 18A – Salted Butter

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot 83% BF Euro Style Unsalted Butter, 18D – Unsalted Butter

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Alpine Cheddar, 5B – Italian Soft Style

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot CPS Extra Sharp Cheddar, 1B – Cheddar (Aged 13-24 Months)

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Creme Fraiche, 16A – Cultured Dairy Products

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, 1B – Cheddar (Aged 13-24 Months)

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Farmhouse Extra Sharp Cheddar, 1B – Cheddar (Aged 13-24 Months)

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Habanero Cheddar, 10A – Flavored Hard Cheese

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Salted Butter, 18A – Salted Butter

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, 1B – Cheddar (Aged 13-24 Months)

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Sharp Cheddar, 1A – Cheddar (Aged up to 12 Months)

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Sour Cream, 16A – Cultured Dairy Products

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Unsalted Butter, 18D – Unsalted Butter

Cabot Creamery Cooperative (Washington Co) – Cabot Vintage Choice Cheddar, 1C – Cheddar (Aged over 24 months)

Crowley Cheese, LLC (Rutland Co) – Crowley Mild, 3A – American Originals

Crowley Cheese, LLC (Rutland Co) – Crowley Sage, 10A – Flavored Hard Cheese

Crowley Cheese, LLC (Rutland Co) – Crowley Smoked Garlic, 14A – Smoked Cheese

Grafton Village Cheese Co. (Windham Co) – Bear Hill, 19B – Aged Sheepmilk Cheese (Over 61 Days)

Grafton Village Cheese Co. (Windham Co) – Bismark, 1D – Cheddar (Bandaged or Linen Wrapped)

Grafton Village Cheese Co. (Windham Co) – Grafton Traditional Cheddar, 1B – Cheddar (Aged 13-24 Months)

Grafton Village Cheese Co. (Windham Co) – Shepsog, 20A – Mixed Milk Cheese

Grafton Village Cheese Co. (Windham Co) – Storyteller, 7A – Traditional International Cheese Styles

Green Mountain Blue Cheese (Franklin Co) – Boucher Blue, 8A – Exterior-Rind Blue Cheese

Green Mountain Blue Cheese (Franklin Co) – Gore-Dawn-Zola, 8A – Exterior-Rind Blue Cheese

Green Mountain Blue Cheese (Franklin Co) – Madison Blue, 8A – Exterior-Rind Blue Cheese

Jasper Hill Farm (Orleans Co) – Jasper Hill Farm, Cabot Clothbound, 1D – Cheddar (Bandaged or Linen Wrapped)

Jasper Hill Farm (Orleans Co) – Jasper Hill Farm, Harbison, 12A – Soft Ripened White Mold Cheese

Jasper Hill Farm (Orleans Co) – Jasper Hill Farm, Moses Sleeper with Truffles, 12B – Flavored Soft Ripened White Mold Cheese

Jasper Hill Farm (Orleans Co) – Jasper Hill Farm, Whitney, 4B – Alpine Style

Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery (Orleans Co) – Burrata, 5B – Italian Soft Style

Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery (Orleans Co) – Maplebrook Feta, 15A – Feta (Cow Milk)

Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery (Orleans Co) – Maplebrook Fresh Mozzarella, 5B – Italian Soft Style

Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery (Orleans Co) – Maplebrook Ricotta, 5B – Italian Soft Style

Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery (Orleans Co) – Maplebrook Smoked Mozzarella, 14A – Smoked Cheese

Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery (Orleans Co) – Ploughgate Maple Butter, 18B – Flavored Butter

Maplebrook Farm + Ploughgate Creamery (Orleans Co) – Ploughgate Salted Butter, 18A – Salted Butter

Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company (Windsor Co) – Bell’s Two-Hearted IPA Cheddar, 1E – Flavored Cheddar

Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company (Windsor Co) – Hot Honey Cheddar, 1E – Flavored Cheddar

Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company (Windsor Co) – Lille Bebe, 12A – Soft Ripened White Mold Cheese

Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company (Windsor Co) – Smoked Brie, 14A – Smoked Cheese

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Brimstone, 3A – American Originals

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Brimstone, Best of Vermont

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Emerson, 17A – Unripened Dairy Products

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Oxbow, 14A – Smoked Cheese

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Pawlet, 11A – Washed/Smear Ripened Cheese

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Rupert, 4B – Alpine Style

Woodlawn Creamery (Rutland Co) – Southwind, 4B – Alpine Style

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