DCI Cheese Company Wins Seven Awards At Wisconsin State Fair Cheese & Butter Contest

RICHFIELD, Wis., June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven of DCI Cheese Company's ("DCI") specialty cheeses were awarded prizes at the Wisconsin State Fair Cheese & Butter Contest ("WSF") held last week at Wisconsin State Fair Park. Of these winners, three received First Place awards including DCI's newest product offering, Salemville® Reserve.

• FIRST PLACE, BLUE-VEINED CATEGORY:  Introduced just one month ago and already stealing the show, Salemville Reserve is a premium blue-veined cheese that undergoes extended aging to achieve a delightfully earthy and savory flavor.
• FIRST PLACE, SMOKED CHEESE CATEGORY:  Salemville® Smokehaus Blue® is a hand-crafted Applewood smoked blue cheese with a slightly sweet, lightly smoky flavor. This is the cheese's second First Place win at the WSF, the first coming in 2010.
• FIRST PLACE, OPEN CLASS HARD CHEESE CATEGORY:  Stella® Aged Asiago features a rich, robustly nutty flavor with a pleasantly piquant finish.
• SECOND PLACE, BLUE-VEINED CATEGORY:  Black River® Gorgonzola is a richly veined, pleasantly sharp cheese that has been a perennial award winner at the WSF having previously won four awards including two First Place finishes (2003 and 2006).
• SECOND PLACE, COLD PACK CATEGORY:  Black Diamond® Extra Sharp Cheddar Cold Pack Spread, a distinctively sharp blend created from Black Diamond's award winning 2-year aged Cheddar.
• THIRD PLACE, COLBY/MONTEREY JACK CATEGORY:  Mild yet vibrant with an amazingly smooth, semi-soft body, Black Creek® Monterey Jack is produced from some of the richest milk in Wisconsin by licensed Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers.
• THIRD PLACE, SMEAR RIPENED CATEGORY:  Liederkranz is a surface-ripened snack cheese with a distinctly strong aroma and unique, full-bodied flavor.

Salemville Reserve, Salemville Smokehaus Blue, Stella Aged Asiago and the other category winners will be recognized during the Blue Ribbon Cheese & Butter Auction on Friday, August 10th, at Wisconsin State Fair Park. The auction is a fundraising event for the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board and features the sale of the blue-ribbon entries.

All of DCI's award-winning cheeses are available for purchase at select retailers nationwide. Retailers interested in carrying these items can contact a DCI sales representative by e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 1.800.782.0741 for more information.

About DCI Cheese Company
Richfield, Wisconsin-based DCI Cheese Company has been an innovative leader in the cheese industry since 1975. The company markets and sells a broad range of imported and domestic specialty cheese brands including il Giardino®, Joan of Arc®, King's Choice®, Nikos®, Organic Creamery® and Salemville®, among others. DCI's value-added products can be found in restaurants, grocery stores, club stores and specialty shops across the country. For more information on DCI Cheese Company and its portfolio of brands, visit www.dcicheeseco.com.

*Black Diamond® is a registered trademark owned by Parmalat Canada Inc. and is used under license by DCI Cheese Company, Inc.

SOURCE DCI Cheese Company