The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), organizers of the World Championship Cheese Contest, announced the largest-ever lineup of internationally renowned judges set to evaluate entries March 3-5 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wis. Contest entries are due Jan. 31, and may be submitted via www.WorldChampionCheese.org.
The 2020 judging team consists of 55 experienced cheese graders, cheese buyers, dairy science professors and researchers, hailing from 19 countries and 14 American states, WCMA said. They include:
- Keith Glewis, FoodPlus Technical Consultants, Australia
- Russell Smith, Dairy Australia, Australia
- Kurt Kroissl, Berglandmilch, Austria
- Dr. Mucio Furtado, DuPont, Brazil
- Thierry Martin, Agropur Canada, Canada
- Gurth Pretty, consultant, Canada
- Samir Kalit, Ph.D., University of Zagreb, Croatia
- Per Oleson, St. Clemens Food Products, Denmark
- Dieter Koch-Hartke, Deutsches Milchkontor, Germany
- Enda Howley, Ornua, Ireland
- Dr. Giuseppe Rostiti, Mofin ALCE group, Italy
- Takayuki Miura, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Japan
- Luis Jiménez-Maroto, Center for Dairy Research, Mexico
- Dr. Arnoldo Lopez-Hernandez, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mexico
- Douwe Dijkstra, Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten, Netherlands
- Gerrit Jansen, FrieslandCampina, Netherlands
- Neil Willman, New Zealand Cheese School, New Zealand
- Miguel Rolo, Etapa Improvável, Portugal
- Kobus Mulder, Mulder Consult, South Africa
- María Martín Ganado, Quesos Ilbesa, Spain
- Christian Schmutz, Fromarte, Switzerland
- Stefan Truttman, Fromarte, Switzerland
- Adrian Fowler, Fowler's Forest Dairies Ltd., United Kingdom
- Sarah Stewart, Neal's Yard Dairy, United Kingdom
- Jill Allen, Tillamook, Oregon, United States
- Greg Anderson, Kroger Co., Minnesota, United States
- Marc Bates, Bates Consulting, Oregon, United States
- Larry Bell, Bell Consulting, Wisconsin, United States
- Kimberlee Burrington, Center for Dairy Research, Wisconsin, United States
- Dr. Richard Dargan, Dargan Dairy Consulting, Florida, United States
- Dominique Delugeau, Saputo Cheese USA, Wisconsin, United States
- Dr. MaryAnne Drake, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States
- Dr. Nana Farkye, California Polytechnic State University, California, United States
- Chad Galer, Dairy Management Inc., Illinois, United States
- Craig Gile, Cabot Creamery, Vermont, United States
- Glenn Hatcher, Pacific Cheese Co., California, United States
- John Jaeggi, Center for Dairy Research, Wisconsin, United States
- Dr. Mark Johnson, Center for Dairy Research, Wisconsin, United States
- Andy Johnson, Center for Dairy Research, Wisconsin, United States
- Dan Konz, DairiConcepts, Minnesota, United States
- Drew Kordus, Great Lakes Cheese, Ohio, United States
- Laura Laehn-Block, Masters Gallery, Wisconsin, United States
- Dr. Susan Larson, Center for Dairy Research, Wisconsin, United States
- Terry Lensmire, Lensmire Dairy Consulting, Wisconsin, United States
- Charles Lindberg, NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets (retired), New York, United States
- Christophe Megevand, Schuman Cheese, New Jersey, United States
- Virgil Metzger, cheese and dairy consultant, Illinois, United States
- Dr. Lloyd Metzger, South Dakota State University, South Dakota, United States
- Mike Pederson, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Wisconsin, United States
- David Satterness, Chr. Hansen, South Dakota, United States
- Dean Sommer, Center for Dairy Research, Wisconsin, United States
- Cathy Strange, Whole Foods Market, Texas, United States
- Randy Swensen, Wisconsin Aging and Grading, Wisconsin, United States
- Dr. Steve Zeng, Langston University, Oklahoma, United States
- Matt Zimbric, Foremost Farms, Wisconsin, United States
“Our contest judges are known for their expertise in technical cheese evaluation, one of the elements that sets the World Championship Cheese Contest apart from other competitions,” said Kirsten Strohmenger, events manager for Madison, Wis.-based WCMA.
Strohmenger noted that the judging panel will work under the guidance of Chief Judge Jim Mueller of Mueller Consulting in Green Bay, Wis., and the revered “Red Hats,” the contest’s elite team of assistant chief judges, including Tim Czmowski of Agropur Inc. in Hull, Iowa; Stan Dietsche of Oshkosh Cheese Sales & Storage in Oshkosh, Wis.; Josef Hubatschek of ALPMA, an international supplier to the dairy processing industry; Mariana Marques de Almeida of Ms. J and Co. in Monroe, Wis.; and Sandy Toney of Masters Gallery Foods in Plymouth, Wis. Robert Aschebrock of Stratford, Wis., and Bill Schlinsog of Middleton, Wis., will serve as chief judges emeriti.
