Tarago cheese a winner

GIPPSLAND Blue from Tarago River Cheese Company, Neerim South, was named the Champion Blue Cheese at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards in Melbourne on Monday night.
Bulla Double Thick Cream from Bulla Dairy Foods was awarded the gold medal for Grand Champion dairy product (excluding cheese).
Bulla Dairy Foods is a family owned company in Colac that has been operating since 1910.
The Australian Grand Dairy Awards is the dairy industry’s ultimate accolade for the dairy producer.
The awards covered 18 classes of dairy products including milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, cream, ice cream and dairy desserts.
To even be considered, a product must have achieved gold medal status in qualifying competitions across the nation.
Dairy Australia marketing chief Richard Lange said the awards recognised excellence in dairy products and were the hallmark for quality and innovation.
“A gold medal means the product is the best of the best in that category and provides the winner with industry recognition and a real marketing advantage,” he said.
Puglia Pecorino from Fresh Cheese Co (Aust) Pty Ltd, Brunswick, won Champion Hard Cheese, and the Champion Goat’s or Sheep’s Milk Cheese award went to Meredith Blue from Meredith Dairy, Meredith.