The U.S. championship cheese wasn’t named Deja vu, but it could have been.
For the second consecutive contest, an aged gouda called Arethusa Europa from Arethusa Farm Dairy in Bantam, Connecticut, received the top score of 2,414 entries in the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
By a very small margin, it must be said. Arethusa Europa bested St. Malachi Reserve by The Farm at Doe Run in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, by one-hundredth of a point, 98.89 to 98.88. Every entry starts with a score of 100 and judges deduct points from multiple attributes.
“We didn’t expect to win again,” said cheesemaker and plant manager Chris Casiello of Arethusa Farm Dairy on a video conference call after the winner was announced Thursday at Resch Expo. “It’s been a great seller for us.”
Third place this year went to Lake Country Dairy-Schuman Cheese in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. The company took first, second and third place in the Parmesan class, in addition to two other best-of-class finishes.
“Our whole idea is to make cheese the Italian way,” said Aileen Kacvinsky, technical services director for Lake Country Dairy-Schuman Cheese. Schuman Cheese, which was founded in the early 1900s, acquired Lake Country Dairy about 16 years ago. The company’s top Parmesan cheese is organic, Kacvinsky said. Milk comes from select organic dairies within 100 miles of the Turtle Lake factory.
“The razor-thin margins that separated our contest finalists speak to the caliber of U.S. cheesemakers’ talent,” said John Umhoefer, executive director of contest host Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
Wisconsin, which fancies itself the cheese capital of the United States (if not the world), made its case with 55 best-of-class finishes among 117 total classes. Vermont was second with 13 first-place medals.
All results can be seen on the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest site here.
The 2025 contest included 2,414 entries from 31 states. Categories included cheese, butter, cultured products and dry dairy ingredients. This was the second time the contest was held at Resch Expo, having previously been held in the Lambeau Field Atrium.
The U.S. Championship Cheese Contest is held every other year in Green Bay. The World Championship Cheese Contest is held alternate years in Madison.
