The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Minister responsible for the Centre-du-Québec region, André Lamontagne, announced the choices of the jury of Sélection Caseus, the Quebec cheese competition, for the year 2024.
For the Centre-du-Québec, the finalist cheese factories and cheese shops are:
Fromage Warwick
Lemeric 1972
Cow’s milk cheese with washed, mixed or natural rind – soft paste
Fromagerie du Presbytère
Elizabeth Blue
Blue cheese
Brie Paysan
Cow’s milk cheese with a bloomy rind
Herbal cinter
Cheese flavored by adding spices, vegetables, fruits or nuts
Louis d’or 9 months
Cow’s milk cheese with washed, mixed or natural rind – firm or hard paste
Ti-Brin of Liberty
Cow’s milk cheese with bloomy rind
L’Ancêtre Cheese Factory
L’Ancêtre Organic Old-Fashioned Smoked Cheddar
Cheese flavored by smoking, maceration or addition of flavoring substance
L’Ancêtre Organic Medium Light Cheddar
Reduced fat cheese
L’Ancêtre Cheddar 2 years organic
Fromage cheddar
Fromagerie St-Guillaume
Le P’tit Frais Cheddar Curds
Cheese curds and fresh daily
Fromagerie Victoria
Cheddar cheese curds
Cheese curds and fresh daily
Les P’tits Victoria 1 an
Fromage cheddar
The Cheese Workshop
The Bergere Melody
Sheep’s milk cheese with washed, mixed or natural rind
The Tomette
Goat’s milk cheese with washed rind, mixed or natural
The Pavé de l’Atelier
Goat’s milk cheese with bloomy rind
It was at the Saint-Hyacinthe campus of the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire du Québec that a jury of 25 experts representing the various sectors of the cheese industry carried out the sensory evaluation of 197 cheeses. Whether they were made from cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk, whether they had a bloomy or washed rind or even a soft, firm or blue-veined paste, the selected cheeses were evaluated by the specialists according to their general appearance, texture, odor, flavor and flavour (all the olfactory and taste sensations during tasting).
In total, 63 cheeses from 29 companies are finalists to win one of the prestigious Caseus awards, including the Caseus Gold, which will crown the best cheese in Quebec. In total, 24 prizes and 2 special mentions will be awarded to the winners on September 25, 2024, at the Musée de la civilization in Quebec.
“In Quebec, artisan cheesemakers make high-quality products and the finalists of the Sélection Caseus competition undoubtedly attest to this. Each year, dozens of cheeses stand out to a jury made up of seasoned experts. I invite you to discover them. It’s a tasty way to contribute to the prosperity of our businesses and the vitality of our regions. Congratulations to all the 2024 finalists, particularly those from the Centre-du-Québec region,” expressed Minister Lamontagne.
