Idyll Farms of Northport, Michigan won 7 awards at the 2022 American Cheese Society contest announced July 21 in Portland, Oregon at the 39^th ACS Annual Conference. It is the 3^rd year they have won more American Cheese Society goat cheese awards than any other goat cheese producer (2017, 2019 and 2022). 1st place awards were given for Temptation and Idyll Pastures honey lavender, a 2nd place for Idyllweiss, and 3rd places for Idyll Pastures garlic and herb, Idyll Pastures Fennel Pollen, Idyll Goat Ricotta and Idyll Pastures spreadable honey and lavender. Idyll Farms was recognized by judges for excellence amongst 1,387 products from 196 entering companies.

Idyll Farms is a goat farmstead creamery located in Northport, Michigan, a small village perched on the edge of Lake Michigan. Their Certified Humane ® Alpine goats are pasture-fed through managed intensive rotational grazing, which is great for the pastures, the soil, the goats, and best of all, their cheese (not to mention sequestering carbon and regenerating the planet). And by doing everything in house, from pastures to plate, they meticulously coordinate the entire process in order to make some of the world’s tastiest award-winning G.O.A.T. cheese.

To date, Idyll Farms have won 32 American Cheese Society awards (more than any other goat cheese producer in 2017, 2019 and 2022), 9 World Championship Cheese Awards, 5 U.S. Championship Cheese Awards and a Good Foods Award. This year, Idyll Pastures spreadable plain and garlic and herb won 2 Best in Class awards at the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest. In 2021 they opened the 1st and only goat cheese vending machine in the world in the village of Northport.

Taken from the American Cheese Society website:

The American Cheese Society Judging and Competition, the largest event of its kind for American-made cheeses, took place May 19-20, 2022, at the Huntington Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis campus. Canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, the Judging and Competition (J&C) will be held separately from the Conference in 2022 for the first time. Following this year’s virtual 38th ACS Annual Conference (July 28-30, 2021), entries for the J&C will open in October 2021, with winners were announced at the 39th ACS Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon from July 20-23, 2022. View the winners here.

The ACS Competition shines the spotlight on American cheesemakers by showcasing their talents and work as leaders within the industry, both for their excellent cheesemaking and commitment to food safety. Growing from just 89 entries 37 years ago, the ACS J&C welcomed cheeses and cultured dairy products from 257 companies in 2019, when it was last held in Richmond, Virginia. Competing entries represented 35 U.S. states, 4 Canadian provinces, Mexico, and Brazil. The ACS awarded a total of 433 awards including 139 gold medals, 143 silver medals and 151 bronze medals. The 2022 event received nearly 1400 entries in 120 categories.

Cheeses entered in the competition were received May 18, 2022, with judging from May 19-20.

By hosting the Judging & Competition, ACS hopes to shine the spotlight on American cheesemakers by showcasing their talents and work as leaders within the industry, both for their excellent cheesemaking and commitment to food safety. ACS celebrates and respects the craft of every cheesemaker who enters the ACS Judging & Competition. It is the ACS members’ efforts that continue to collectively advance the quality and character of American cheeses.