Sartori Wins Three Gold Medals at US Championship Cheese Contest

PLYMOUTH, Wis., March 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sartori Company was awarded gold medals for their Limited Edition Peppermint BellaVitano^®, Limited Edition Pastorale^® Blend, and shredded SarVecchio^® Parmesan at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The competition, hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, set a new record this year with 1,885 entries from 28 states.

"It's an honor to be recognized for three gold medals.  This is the nation's largest technical dairy competition where the judging is open to the public and your cheese is on display while being evaluated," states Sartori third generation owner and CEO, Jim Sartori.  "It's fascinating to watch the experts while they are judging the different cheeses; they smell, taste, and examine the cheese, looking for both aesthetic and technical qualities."

Sartori's Limited Edition Peppermint BellaVitano is hand-rubbed with crushed peppermint candies and available during the month of October in support of breast cancer awareness month.  "When the peppermint candies are crushed and added to the rind of BellaVitano, it creates a pink hue.  Since its inception in 2013, we've teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.^® and have donated over $30,000 to the organization," states Chad Vincent, Chief Marketing Officer. 

Sartori's Limited Edition Pastorale Blend is a Spanish-inspired mixed milk (cow/sheep) cheese hand-dusted with smoked Spanish paprika.  The cheese delivers a sweet and nutty flavor with a slight earthy, back-of-the-throat taste.  "My inspiration for this cheese came while I was bicycling in Europe.  I was intrigued by the unique cheeses I tried at the farmers markets in Spain and Poland and knew I wanted to create my own," states Sartori Master Cheesemaker, Mike Matucheski.  "'Pastorale' comes from the pastures and fields I saw during my trip and 'blend' refers to the two milks.  This cheese will always be special to me."

SarVecchio Parmesan is Sartori's most awarded cheese, receiving top honors across the globe.  The extra-aged Parmesan begins with a subtle fruity note and finishes with caramelized flavors.  "SarVecchio is aged at least 20 months and is an outstanding cheese that can be enjoyed as a table cheese or is a great accompaniment to any dish," adds Vincent.  SarVecchio Parmesan has been awarded prestigious titles such as "Best Parmesan" and "Best Healthy Cheese in the World" at national and international competitions.

Sartori also received a silver medal for their Balsamic BellaVitano and a bronze medal for their Raspberry BellaVitano.  All Sartori artisan cheese can be found online for sale at shop.sartoricheese.com.  For additional news and information, follow Sartori on Facebook and Twitter (@Sartori_Cheese).

About Sartori
Sartori has been producing artisan and premium cheese for seven decades for Specialty, Retail, Ingredient, Restaurant and Food Service markets.  Based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Sartori has an impressive array of award winning cheese noted for innovative approaches and consistent top quality across their entire line.  For more information, please visit www.sartoricheese.com or call us directly at 800-558-5888.

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SOURCE Sartori Cheese