DES MOINES, IA – Metz’s Hart-Land Creamery won second place in the Flavored Cheese Curd category July 27-31, 2016 at the American Cheese Society’s product competition with their Roasted Garlic and Herb Cheese Curds.
“This is our first time entering a product in the competition, and we are very pleased at the result,” said owner and cheesemaker Jeff Metz. “There was tremendous competition from entries across the country.”
The society’s conference rotates locations year-to-year, and some 1,000 cheesemakers, retailers, and other industry professionals attended the conference in Des Moines. The Judging & Competition featured 1,843 entries of cheeses and cultured dairy products from 260 companies from 37 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and Colombia. A total of 374 ribbons were awarded: 104 first place ribbons, 127 second place ribbons, and 143 third place ribbons.
Metz’s Hart-Land Creamery has been in operation since 2014, and is located in Rushford, Minn. Owners Jeff and Mariann Metz and their family makes a variety of farmstead cheese curds and artisan cheddar on the farm with milk coming from their herd of predominantly Holstein and Jersey cows. Their products are sold in over 50 locations in Southeast Minnesota.