Cow’s milk cheese and dairy processors that use the Real California Milk seal brought home 18 awards during the 2025 annual biennial event held by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
California cheesemakers won a total of 18 awards – with Real California cow’s milk cheeses and dairy products bringing home 4 Best of Class, 8 second place and 6 third place awards in this year’s judging. Highlights from these wins include:
- Central Valley Cheese/Karoun, Turlock –7 awards, Bulgarian Style Yogurt (Best of Class), Karoun Honey Vanilla Yogurt (Best of Class), Karoun Labne (Best of Class), Gopi Lowfat Yogurt (Second Award), Parmalat Cremoso Creamy Strawberry Honey Yogurt (Second Award), Karoun Whole Milk Yogurt (Third Award), Karoun Honey Yogurt (Third Award).
- Cowgirl Creamery, Petaluma – 2 awards, Hop Along (Best of Class), Wagon Wheel (Second Award).
- Crystal Creamery, Modesto– 1 award, Cottage Cheese (Third Award).
- Dairy Farmers of America, Turlock–1 award, California Gold Mozzarella (Second Award).
- Hilmar Cheese, Hilmar–2 awards, Hickory Smoked Cheddar (Third Award), Hilmar PROfraction Beta (Second Award)
- Joseph Gallo Farms, Atwater –3 awards, String Cheese (Second Award), Mozzarella-Part Skim (Second Award), Monterey Jack (Third Award).
- Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Pt. Reyes – 2 awards: Fennel Blue (Second Award), TomaRashi (Third Award).
In total, 7 Real California cow’s milk cheese and dairy companies won awards for products made with Real California Milk from the state’s more than 1,000 family dairy farms using some of the most sustainable dairy practices in the world.
About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. California is the second largest cheese producing state in the nation, responsible for more than 2.4 billion pounds of cheese each year. Real California cheeses and dairy products are available at retailers throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Asia. For more information, visit: RealCaliforniaMilk.com.
This story originally appeared in California Dairy Magazine on April 15, 2025.
