A bountiful harvest of awards for Agropur cheeses

LONGUEUIL, QC, Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - During the course of this summer, which is fast drawing to a close, Agropur Cooperative posted excellent results at numerous international cheese competitions, garnering 19 prizes, including 9 first-place finishes, at events such as the one hosted by the American Cheese Society, the Wisconsin State Fair and the International Cheese Awards. Following on the successes of recent years, the Cooperative was recognized for the quality and excellence of many of its cheese at these major competitions.

According to Robert Coallier, CEO of Agropur: "Backed by close to 75 years of experience and advances in the dairy industry, our Cooperative continues to redouble its efforts to expand and improve its line of fine cheeses. We can always rely on our master cheesemakers and outstanding teams to propel us to new heights on the national and international stage years after year, and to provide our customers with exceptional products."

American Cheese Society
In Raleigh, North Carolina, August 1 to 4, 2012
The objective of this event is to support North American artisans and the cheese industry as a whole. Founded in 1983, the ACS provides education, business development and networking opportunities for targeted members of the industry, while continuously striving to improve the quality and availability of their cheeses throughout North America.

Prizes won by Agropur at the American Cheese Society:

• 1^st place
• Rondoux Triple Crème, in the Triple Crème - soft ripened/cream added - all milks category
• Allégro probio 7 %, in the Fat Free and Low Fat cheeses category
• 2^nd place
• Chevalier Triple Crème, in the Triple Crème - soft ripened/cream added - all milks category
• OKA with Mushrooms, in the Cheeses flavored with herbs, fruits, vegetables, truffles, flowers, syrups - all milks category
• OKA Raclette, in the Open Category - made from cow's milk
• 3^rd place:
• Brie Normandie, in the Brie - made from cow's milk category
• Grand Camembert L'Extra, in the Camembert - made from cow's milk category
• Champfleury, in the Open Category - made from cow's milk

Wisconsin State Fair
In West Allis, Wisconsin, June 21, 2012
This event, which is organized for Wisconsin producers, showcased close to 300 products in 26 different categories. The two facilities that Agropur operates in the state of Wisconsin were in the running, and earned the following awards:

• 1^st place:
• Cheddar, in the Mild Cheddar category
• Mozzarella, in the Mozzarella category
• Feta, in the Feta category
• Feta, basil and tomato, in the Flavored Soft Cheese category
• 2^nd place:
• Feta, basil and tomato, in the Flavored Soft Cheese category
• 3^rd place:
• Mozzarella, in the Mozzarella category
• Peppercorn Feta, in the Flavored Soft Cheese category

International Cheese Awards
In Nantwich, United Kingdom, July 25, 2012
The ICA, which is the largest competition of its kind, has been around for 115 years. A total of 156 expert judges were tasked with judging close to 4,000 cheeses from 27 countries.

Agropur performed extremely well, winning awards for its Grand Cheddar: Gold in the "Best Overseas Cheese" category and Gold in the "Cheese made from unpasteurised milk" category. In addition, the Cooperative was awarded the John Webb Trophy for the "Best cheese made from unpasteurised milk".

About Agropur
Founded in 1938, Agropur is a leader in the Canadian dairy industry. With sales of $3.6 billion, the Cooperative is a source of pride for its 3,349 dairy producer members and 5,700 employees. Agropur processes more than 3 billion litres of milk per year in its 27 plants located in Canada, the United States and Argentina. It markets an impressive line of products, including such well-known brands as Natrel, Québon, Oka, Sealtest and Island Farms.

To learn more about Agropur, please visit www.agropur.com.

SOURCE AGROPUR